Love at Long Last
by TohruXHatoriluver626
Summary: I would first like to state that in no way do I own Fruit Basket. I enjoy writing stories and this is my first posted story. I love unlikely couples and Hatori and Tohru aren't a likely couple but I think that is why they should be together.
1. Introduction

Love at Long Last

Tohru woke up to the sounds of birds singing outside her bedroom window. She looked at the clock it was six a.m., she still had another hour of sleep but she knew she would never get back to sleep. She climbed out of bed and put on her favorite pink sundress with small strawberries around the bottom edge and belt. Ayame fancied making her outfits and she loved wearing them, they made her feel special and lovely. She had tried refusing but he had always insisted.

She moved down the stairs quietly in her slippers. She turned into the kitchen and turned to the counters and thought for a moment what she should make. She decided to make yakizakana, soba and onigiri. That way she made something everyone enjoyed, though she wasn't sure what Shigure desired. All of a sudden the door to Shigure's office opened. "Ah, my charming flower's cooking for me again" he said leaning against the open door. "Oh how fortunate I must be for having you fall into our dull lives" he said grinning. Tohru smiled, "good morning Shigure" she said smiling brightly back at him. "Dammit he's up" Kyo said. "What, were you hoping to spend this exquisite morning with the ever stunning flower?" he said. Tohru blushed lightly while Kyo looked ready to kill the dog. "Dammit Shigure shut up" Kyo said even he had a slight red tone. He was just about to throw Shigure through a wall. "Damn what's with all the noise" Yuki said coming down the stairs rubbing his eyes. "Oh sorry Yuki did we wake you" Tohru said with worry in her eyes. "No I'm guessing it wasn't your doing Miss Honda" he said giving her one of his 'prince' Yuki smiles.

Tohru loved living with the Sohma family there was no such thing as a dull moment while living with them. She enjoyed the life she was living with them.

There was Yuki also known as 'prince' Yuki by his adoring fan club. He was very kind and cared for Tohru in a way a child may care for their mother, which he had only discovered very recently. He and Tohru often visited his secret base which was a small garden that he and she cared for. He was the rat in the Jyuunishi or Chinese zodiac.

Whenever a member of the zodiac is under extreme stress or is hugged by a member of the other gender they transform, though Tohru discovered that members of the zodiac could hug each other without fear of transformation.

Yuki's life wasn't easy though. When he was young he was abused mentally and physically by the head of the Sohma's, Akito. Akito was vicious and heartless as well as terrifying. Last time she had met with him. He had grabbed her hair and tugged hard after she had bowed respectfully to him. The only thing that had stopped him was Yuki and Shigure. Akito had really scared her though she would never admit, or complain, about it, that would just worry or annoy everyone.

The next member of the household is Shigure. He took in Yuki, her and Kyo into his home. He was truly kind although he always acted silly and childish, often telling silly stories of the past Mabudachi Trio which had consisted of him, and his cousins Ayame, and Hatori. He almost always wore yukatas at home since he was always working on a next great novel. Which were the type adults always say you can read when you are older. He was foolish but trustworthy and always knew what to do or say in a stressful situation. He was the dog in the zodiac.

The final member of Shigure's household is Kyo Sohma. He is cursed by the vengeful spirit of the cat and therefore is looked down upon by the rest of the Sohma's. He is prone to sudden outbursts and tends to break many objects in his many fights with Yuki because of the story of the Chinese Zodiac.

The story is that one day god invited all the animals to a banquet to be held that night. But the rat who enjoyed playing tricks told his neighbor, the cat, that the party was the next day so the cat missed the party while the rat rode the whole way on the cow's back because of this the cat was never accepted to the Chinese zodiac and became a vengeful spirit.

There were more members of the zodiac but she hadn't met them all because most of them lived on the Sohma estate near Akito. She had already met the cow, Haru, Momiji the bunny, Kisa the tiger, Hiro the sheep, Ritsu the monkey, Kagura the boar, Ayame the snake, and Hatori the seahorse (baby dragon).

"Oh, I wanted to warn you Tohru, Hari, and Ayame will be by later" Shigure said smiling a little too much. Tohru watched as the expression on the other two teens faces changed to absolute horror then anger. "How dare you, you damn dog" Kyo yelled and lunged for Shigure. Shigure easily sidestepped the attack sending Kyo flying through a door. Shigure sighed "is there any way you could refrain from damaging too much property Kyo". "Oh, you guys have a vacation coming up soon don't you" Shigure said perking up. "Yep, I can't wait I'll be able to work a lot next week" Tohru smiled. "Well what do you say to going to the snow and hot spring lodge in the mountains" Shigure smiled. "Everyone could come along it could be like a Sohma party with the flower of course". "What" Tohru practically shouted. "That would be too much I couldn't possibly" Tohru said blushing and waving her hands around frantically. "Oh but everyone would be very disappointed if my beautiful flower didn't come along". Shigure said pouting like a three-year old. "Oh but it's too much" Tohru said quietly. "Please Miss. Honda I'd be willing to go if you come along" Yuki said in his voice that could make any girl obey instantly. "Ok if everyone wants me to go with them" Tohru said smiling and blushing. "I might as well go as well" Kyo said "maybe I can beat that damn rat if he is freezing cold".

Kyo was trained in martial arts by his adoptive father, Kazuma Sohma. He also trained many other jyuunishi. Kyo loved him like a father and often went to the dojo. Tohru had always wanted to go and watch but she had been so busy with work and house chores that she was never able to go when he went.

"Is that why you invited Ayame and Hatori over, to discuss the trip" Tohru asked. "Certainly" he said a suspicious grin pasted on his face. "He's probably just avoiding his editor" Kyo said with Yuki nodding. "Well you three had better head to school, we will leave for the trip in seven days on Thursday and get back on Saturday" Shigure said pushing them toward the door. Tohru slipped into her shoes. "See you later Shigure" she said cheerfully before leaving with the cat and rat for school.

When they arrived she had the odd sensation she was being watched. She turned but saw no one there so she continued to walk toward the lockers. All of a sudden she saw her friends Uo and Hana. "Good morning Uo" "Good morning Hana" she said smiling. "Good morning our sweet Tohru" Hana said. She always had a gloomy look but when she saw Tohru she always attempted a small smile.

Tohru's main two friends are Hana and Uo. Uo was an ex-gang member who was rescued by Tohru's mother who was also an ex-gang member. She always wore long skirts and carried a long metal pipe. She always fought and argued with Kyo but they were both very protective of Tohru. Many people call her 'Yankee'. Her father is an alcoholic and her mother left when she was very young.

Her other friend, Hana, is a mysterious person who is able to control denpa waves or psychic waves and uses them to protect Tohru mostly from the prince Yuki fan club. She is very gothic and was rescued by Tohru's mother when she was ignored and teased by her peers. She became Tohru's friend and a member of the odd Honda family. Because of Tohru's mothers love and protection of them they vowed to love and protect Tohru forever. That and they had felt like her other mothers when her mother was at work.

Tohru was so nervous. They only had four months until graduation and ultimately finals and she wasn't sure whether to be scared or excited. She hoped she would graduate with all her friends and adoptive family. Yuki was already helping her study for exams.

She made it through the school day. She didn't have to work tonight because it was a Thursday and she worked Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. She rushed home to prepare dinner and snacks. Yuki had to stay at school for a student council meeting which he stayed after for on most days and Kyo had suddenly decided to go to Kazuma's dojo, no doubt, because of the three men currently at Shigure's house. She on the other hand loved the trio. Although Ayame and Shigure embarrassed her a bit, she had always admired Hatori's way of keeping things together.


	2. Introducing Hatori

She walked in and switched into her slippers. She walked into the dining area but she didn't see anyone, then suddenly she heard Ayame's and Shigure's hyena laughter coming from down the hallway. She walked down the hallway and into Shigure's office. Both Ayame and Shigure had an empty bottle of sake in their hands and were laughing obnoxiously. Hatori was sitting across from them shaking his head, ashamed that he let them act like this. "Oh Miss. Honda, I'm sorry about the noise, they seemed to have gotten their hands on some sake and gotten quite drunk". At that moment the two drunks collapsed to the floor fast asleep. "Finally" he said "I was wondering when the alcohol would take full effect" he started to climb out of his seat. "Oh Hatori you don't have to get up, it's alright what would you like" Tohru asked. "It's no problem the room smells like sake and it's is starting to smell very strongly of alcohol" he said with his ever cold serious look on his face. "I was thinking since we are not getting anything done I'll just head home" he said heading toward the door. "But can't you stay for supper, they may not feel well enough to eat so I probably will make too much" she said glancing at the two passed out drunks.

"So Hatori are you going on the trip" she asked quietly. "I might as well, that way when there's a problem I could be there instead of having to drop everything to get up there"

Secretly Tohru cared deeply for the dragon. She loved how Hatori could calm any situation or be sensible even around Ayame and Shigure. She loved how he took care of all of the zodiac members and even seemed to take in young Momiji who had been rejected by his mother. She loved him and yet knew with the differences in their ages she could never tell him, he would never accept her.

"Tohru" she suddenly heard through her thoughts. "Sorry" she said suddenly realizing she had been staring at him; she blushed red as a strawberry. "Are you alright" he said worriedly putting his hand to her head to check for a fever. "I'm fine" she said "What did you say" she said trying to change the subject. Although he didn't seemed satisfied he pulled away and said "I said I would love to stay for supper" he said it while giving her one of his rare smiles. She smiled back and walked into the kitchen; when she heard a loud bang and the sound of feet stomping down the hall. Kyo burst in with Yuki quietly walking behind him. "What the hell is that damn dragon still doing here and is that damn snake still here too" he said practically screaming. Tohru looked shocked and even a bit scared. "Knock it off Kyo your scaring Tohru" Hatori said shaking his head. All of a sudden Kyo seemed to notice Tohru standing slightly behind Hatori. "Sorry Tohru, I didn't mean to yell" he said harshly looking away. "It's alright, Kyo what would you like to eat for dinner" she said smiling happily at him "anything but damn leeks" Kyo said still looking at the floor. Yuki rolled his eyes while standing behind Kyo. "I'm sure whatever Miss. Honda cooks will be delicious" Yuki said smiling at her. Tohru felt herself blush again. Hatori just quietly watched the three teens. Tohru really had a good effect on them. Yuki had become more confident and happy. Kyo had become less violent and also seemed happier. Hatori suddenly said "your vacations next week, correct?". Tohru nodded and said "Yep, how many people are coming, I hope everyone can come". "So far the only ones unable to come are Rin, Ritsu, and Kureno other than that everyone else is coming that I know of" Hatori said staring at them with his serious expression. Both Yuki and Kyo seemed to dislike the amount of people still able to come and who the guest list included. "We were trying to decide who would be sleeping where when the other two found the sake" Hatori said closing his eyes and shaking his head. "I'm not going to be in the same room as him" Yuki and Kyo said in unison, pointing to one another. "Don't worry you two are on opposite sides of the longer hallway" he started saying "in the left hallway from the entrance it goes Yuki, then Kagura, then Tohru, then Kisa, then Hiro, then Kyo. On the right side it goes Haru, then Momiji, then myself, and lastly there is Ayame and Shigure in the last room" he finished saying. "Hell that's the worst plan ever, those two shouldn't even be on the same planet much less the same room and I don't want to be in the same hallway as that snot nose Hiro and Kagura" Kyo said. "The plans are okay I think" Tohru defended quietly. "Fine, it's alright" Kyo said walking up the stairs to put away his school bag. "Dinner will be ready in thirty minutes" she called up to him. Yuki followed Kyo's example and went up the stairs to put his stuff away. When he was up the stairs Tohru turned back to getting dinner ready. "You're a good influence on them you know". "What… no… I'm not… I mean" Tohru said turning red all over again. "I mean Kyo hasn't been as destructive and Yuki seems less scared and more open about everything" Hatori said reaching for a pan that Tohru couldn't reach. She thanked him and quickly went back to work preparing dinner.

Hatori watched her amazed by her graceful, skilled movements as she quickly prepared the food. He tried to stay out of her way as much as possible and reaching for things that she couldn't reach. Every time she smiled and thanked him and quickly went back to work. While she worked on the meal, he helped by setting the table. When she finished she came out with her hands full of dishes. Hatori went to help but before he had even got up from the table she had set the food down on the table. She quickly called to Yuki and Kyo and went to check on Shigure and Ayame. She was very much like the mother of the house. When they had finished Hatori got ready to go home after thanking Tohru for the wonderful meal.

"Tohru really has been beneficial for everyone in this family. If only I could tell her how I could tell her how I really feel" he thought to himself.

"Hatori is so kind I wish he knew how he made me feel" Tohru thought to herself causing her to blush.

"Goodnight" they both said to each other before turning away. Tohru went to clean up before heading up to do her homework and to go to bed. She went to bed feeling satisfied that everything was okay.

The next morning the routine was the same up until Ayame, who had left with Hatori the night before, called. Tohru picked up the phone. "Hello is the beautiful princess present" Ayame started with. "Hello Ayame" Tohru said back. "Oh, hello flower of everyone's lives, have you packed for the trip" he continued. "Um, no, I was going to do that this afternoon after school". "Well only pack what's necessary, I will be making your amazing clothing for this trip actually most of it is already finished" he said very pleased with himself. "Oh, Ayame it's too much, I mean… you didn't have to" she said loudly then getting softer with each word. "You don't understand princess, I didn't do it because I had to, I did it because I wanted to" he said making Tohru yet again blush. "So you'll receive them tomorrow. Bye" he finished before hanging up. Tohru smiled and walked over to get her bag before running out to join Kyo and Yuki for school. The day seemed to speed right on by after that.

While they were at school, Ayame and Shigure decided to make some calls. They called all the male jyuunishi and told them to bring suits. They called the female and told them they would be receiving dresses on the trip.

When the three teens arrived home Shigure greeted them eagerly, just like a dog. "Hey, you two pack suits when you pack for vacation" he told Kyo and Yuki. "What the hell is your plan you damn dog" Kyo shouted. "Just do it Kyo, it's a surprise, just go with it" Shigure said hiding part of his face behind the sleeve of his yukata and waved the other sleeve at Kyo. Kyo looked ready to lunge but was held back by Yuki, which only succeeded in making Kyo angrier so he turned and lunged for Yuki which Yuki easily sidestepped causing him to go through yet another door. Shigure just stood shaking his head while Tohru looked on the verge of panic. Shigure ushered the three teens up the stairs before something else could be destroyed.

Once up the stairs Tohru did what was instructed of her earlier and packed anything essential in a small duffle bag. After that she proceeded to do her homework and study because she wasn't sure she would end up getting anything done at the resort. Yuki helped her for about an hour before everyone got ready for dinner then bed. Because of the vacation Shigure called into work for her. What she didn't know is everyone had put a small amount of money in her account she kept for her work paychecks so that even though she was missing work she wouldn't have to worry about money.

Tohru decided before bed she would take a bath. She gathered her towel and pajamas and proceeded to the bathroom. When she was in the bathroom she started to fill the tub. While the tub was filling she sat back. When she decided the tub was full enough she removed her clothing and climbed into the tub. She sat back, feeling relaxed. Suddenly a face popped into her mind. His serious face and sparkling green eyes; his slightly shaggy hair that covered his blind eye; the man she loved… Hatori.

Suddenly she sat up and shook her head. What was she thinking she had to hurry and take her bath, she had to get to sleep early, and their ride would be there at 7 a.m. so she had to be up at 5:30 a.m. so that she could prepare a meal for everyone for the ride there which she heard would take about three hours.

She finished her bath and got dressed for bed. Just as she walked into the hallway she bumped into Kyo who had just come in from relaxing on the roof.

"Hey, Tohru watch out" he said going to catch her as she fell. When they landed there was a "poof" and then suddenly when Tohru opened her eyes there was a small orange cat sitting in her lap. "Oh, I'm so sorry Kyo, I'm so sorry, please don't be angry, oh I'm so sorry" she kept saying over and over until Kyo interrupted her by saying "shut up I'm alright". Tohru stopped sobbing and picked Kyo up and set him in his room and turned around to gather his clothes when she heard another "poof" and the sound of Kyo's door slamming. She set his clothes near the door and headed to her room. She lay down exhausted. Before she knew it she was passed out. Thankfully, she had the kind of alarm clock that she could set easily and she had set it hours ago so she didn't have to worry. The alarm woke her up quickly and she was up before it rang a second time.

She quickly got ready and ran down the stairs. She was so excited she kept cooking till Yuki came down at 6:30 a.m. "What are you doing Miss. Honda" Yuki said barely awake. "I'm making snacks, I'm almost finished, is there something you would like" Tohru answered and asked. "Are you ready for the trip and no I'm sure I will love anything you make" Yuki said. "I was going to finish up and double check my stuff as soon as I'm done with this and breakfast" she said motioning to the food. Yuki nodded and finished the breakfast she had set out.

Kyo came down five minutes later just having finished packing. He sat down to eat just as Shigure came in. When everyone, including Tohru, had finished eating they all went to double check their luggage before bringing it down. Just before Tohru brought her stuff downstairs she quickly and safely tucked in a picture of her mother. When everyone's stuff was together they heard a honk and all grabbed their own bag, but as Tohru reached for hers a hand came down and grabbed it before she could. She looked up and came face to face with Hatori. She said "Good morning Hatori, don't worry I got it". "Wait, one second I forgot something" she said running to the kitchen and coming out with bentos for everyone with their names on them.

Hatori shook his head in despair. He should have known that she would never see this vacation as a chance to relax and have fun.

All of a sudden Shigure popped up behind him. "My little flowers been cooking since early, she was up before everyone else" he said causing Tohru to blush guiltily.

"I meant is this all you have as far as clothing" he stated trying to get his mind off the fact that she was pushing herself to hard. "Yep, Ayame said not to pack too much because he was making me new clothes although I told him he didn't have to, he insisted" she said smiling, same as always. Hatori sighed, she didn't want to know what Ayame and likely Shigure had planned. He followed her out of the door and almost bumped into her when she suddenly stopped. She gasped; in front of her was a large charter bus. "But how… why" she stuttered. Hatori smiled and said "there wasn't enough room in the estate's car's so we decided to use a charter bus". Shigure watched Hatori smile and knew that his and Ayame's plan would go off without a hitch.

"So, everyone came" Tohru said barely being able to stand still. Hatori nodded, moving his hair away from his eye for a moment. Tohru saw his blind eye and sympathy washed over her, but she quickly pushed it away. She knew that Hatori didn't like people feeling bad about his eye.


	3. Bus Ride

She was so excited to see everyone that she ran onto the bus and almost tripped on the steps but managed to right herself and also managed to not drop any of the boxes of food. Everyone smiled and got excited except for Hiro and Haru who never got smiled or got excited about anything. The only time she ever saw Haru smile was when he was fighting Kyo or talking about Yuki and the only time she had seen Hiro smile was when he was thinking about or talking to Kisa.

When Shigure got on he ran to give Ayame to give him a loving embrace. Hatori seemed to have regretted coming but quickly glance at Tohru who was watching the scene and remembered why he wanted to come. He thought to himself "I wouldn't want these two to be the only adults on this trip for her sake" and after he thought this he was instantly embarrassed by the thought.

When Tohru was all the way on the bus she sat down and set down the bento's and took a quick breath before getting back up and handing them out. Tohru was very well known among her friends for having the most original and good tasting bentos ever. She gave everyone some hot dog octopi and onigri but she also gave everyone something special. She gave Momiji cookie rabbits in all shapes and sizes. She gave Kagura a brownie shaped as a boar. She gave little Kisa cookies shaped as tigers and gave Hiro one's shaped as sheep. She gave Kyo a small amount of grilled fish (since that was his favorite dish) and she gave Yuki rat shaped cookies. She gave Haru cookies shaped as cows and she gave Ayame and Shigure one's shaped as their own zodiac animals as well. So as not to tip Hatori off that she liked him she gave him seahorse shaped cookies. Everyone thanked her and Kisa and Momiji ran up to thank her and say hello. She sat between the two young kids.

She glanced at Hatori who was sitting next to Momiji. She saw him smile at the bento before rewrapping it and tying it up. "No doubt, saving it for later" Tohru thought to herself.

She turned her head when she heard a large crash. A ways down on the far end of the bus, when Kyo had gotten on Kagura had dragged him to sit next to her which he flatly and offensively refused causing her to lose her temper and throw him against the windows on the other side. Momiji leaned over and whispered to Tohru "when they rented the bus they made sure they got one with bulletproof windows". After he finished he smiled and leaned against Tohru's shoulder.

Tohru remembered when a year ago he just came past her waist. Now he was a good foot taller. The young rabbit grew amazingly fast.

The young rabbit in truth was only a year younger than Tohru but acted much younger. He had never known a "mother's love" because when he was a child his mother rejected him. So Hatori wiped her memory of him. Tohru had felt sad hearing this and had in turn become somewhat of a mother to not only Momiji but the entire jyuunishi family. Momiji loved sweets to the point of overindulging and was skilled at the violin.

Hatori was cursed with the ability to erase memories Tohru knew he hated the ability. She knew he felt pain every time he used his ability. Not only did he have to wipe Momiji's mother's memories but the memories of his first love Kanna. When Tohru heard the story she felt so much pain and hurt in her heart for Hatori.

The story was that Kanna had become Hatori's assistant and slowly they grew closer and closer until they wanted to marry but when Hatori asked the permission of the head of the Sohma clan Akito got so angry he threw a vase at Hatori hurting his eye and blinding it as well. Kanna had felt that she was to blame because Akito blamed her only got sadder and weaker until he felt he had no choice but to take away her pain which was him. So in the end he took away her memories of him to save her.

Tohru was never afraid to lose her memories, her biggest fear was that if she lost them the others would have to stop being her friend and she couldn't abandon them; especially the younger ones.

On the other side of Tohru Kisa had also leaned against her other shoulder. Kisa was still very young and was much shorter than Tohru. Hiro watched angrily from where he was sitting next to Kisa on the other side.

Kisa was a young, quiet girl. She had attached to Tohru when she had stopped speaking and ran away from home. Kisa's mother was on the verge of rejecting Kisa when Tohru said she would take care of the girl for a little while and ended up giving her courage and strength to go back and face her classmates at school. She ended up becoming Tohru's little shadow, which everyone, except Hiro, loved.

Hiro loved Kisa. But when he told Akito that, Akito hurt Kisa. After that Hiro avoided Kisa so Akito wouldn't hurt her but during that time the students in her class started to tease her and make fun of her hair then her voice. At that time Tohru came and rescued Kisa the way Hiro wanted to. Now Hiro disliked Tohru.

An hour and half into the trip everyone opened their bentos and enjoyed them together though almost everyone were afraid to eat the cookies and other things because they looked so lifelike. Eventually everyone finished and they heard the driver say they were twenty minutes away from the lodge.

Tohru gathered up the garbage and made sure everyone grabbed their stuff. But when she reached for her own bag again Kyo grabbed it and carried it for her. "Kyo, you don't need to …" she said quickly. "Shut up and get ready to get off the bus" he said looking at her out of the corner of his eye. She nodded and sat down to help Kisa and Momiji get ready.


	4. Arrival

As soon as everyone was ready the driver called that they had arrived. Tohru walked off with Momiji while Kisa went with Hiro. Tohru gasped when she saw the resort.

It was a huge two story building and she loved it. It was almost like she was in shock and Hatori loved the expression on her amazed face. He tried not to show it though for fear of what Shigure and Ayame would do.

When they entered a porter came to carry their bags to their rooms for them. They followed the porter who showed them their rooms.

When Tohru entered her own room there was a quilt on the bed with strawberries on it and on top of the bed was a small backpack that was white with small strawberries all over. She gasped and brushed her hand over the small quilt with care. She saw a note sitting on the bedside table she picked it up and it read:

Our Dearest Tohru:

We all care about and want you to be very happy like you make all us. Never forget this, home is where the heart is and we will always be home with you.

The bag, the blanket and the clothes all are yours to keep and enjoy. In the bottom drawer is a special surprise that you are not allowed to open until we reveal our special event for this vacation, so don't peek.

Enjoy and have fun, remember we love and care for you.

Sincerely,

Ayame

P.S.: Attached is a map of the resort so you don't get lost and I've labeled where everyone's rooms are so that you can find everyone.

She was so happy she felt like crying. Suddenly the door opened and Ayame and Shigure walked in. So as to resist hugging Ayame, she grabbed the backpack and hugged it to her chest. "Oh, Ayame how could I ever thank you. This is wonderful and I love all the things you made me, thank you so much" she looked close to tears. Ayame and Shigure smiled at her proudly. Part one of their plan was completed; now to start part two. "Have you seen the clothes yet" Ayame said excitedly. She shook her head no. Slowly Ayame took the bag from her and unzipped it. First, he pulled a small pink blouse and jeans from the bag and set them on the bed after that he pulled out three more sets of jeans as well as a small yellow blouse and two long sleeved shirts, one with the zodiac animals on it and another with strawberries on it. When he had pulled everything out of the bag he reached in a drawer of the dresser and pulled out a duffle.

"The surprise is in the bottom drawer and these are the rest of the clothes. The duffle is yours as well" he said unzipping the duffle which also had strawberries on it as well as her name. In the duffle was a pink snow outfit as well as two long sleeved dresses and two extra outfits. There were also two swimsuits. One was pink with the back open and another was a bikini that had a large top and a skirt bottom.

Now she really wanted to cry. "Oh thank you Ayame thank you they are beautiful how can I ever thank you enough". When she finished tears came to her eyes. Ayame reached over and wiped them away. "I hope you have a good time on this vacation and enjoy everything" Ayame said walking toward the door. He exited and Tohru decided to take a tour.

She grabbed the map and ran out. She walked into the hallway and almost ran into Hatori. She managed to stop herself before she did. "Hello Hatori" she said smiling like always. "Hello, where are you going in such a hurry?" Hatori asked. "I was going to look around the lodge so I would know where to go" she said "I wouldn't want to get lost" she added with a giggle. "If you would prefer I could show you around" Hatori asked. Tohru looked overjoyed and nodded happily.

Inside Hatori felt the same way as she showed. He realized he had mostly offered because he loved being with her.

After checking on everyone they began the tour. He showed her the recreation room and the pool as well as where she was supposed to enter to go to the girls hot tub. After that he showed her the Dining Hall, the Ball Room, and where to get gear for snowboarding and skiing as well as hiking.

"I've always wanted to ski but never learned how" Tohru said looking at the ski gear. All of a sudden Shigure appeared behind them. "Hatori's great at skiing" he said happily. "Really, that's so cool Hatori" Tohru said her eyes lighting up. "Hatori you should teach Tohru how" Shigure said positively giddy. "Oh, Shigure he doesn't have to waste his time with me" Tohru said worriedly. "It's alright, if you want to learn, I'll teach you" he said casually although he was feeling far from it. "Oh, okay, thank you Hatori" she said as a blush rose to her cheeks. "Why, don't we meet at nine a.m. tomorrow in the ski and snowboard shop" he suggested. Tohru nodded agreeing and said goodbye to Hatori and Shigure.

She decided to go for a swim before dinner and got into her suit. She grabbed the towel Ayame had also made for her. She walked out and headed for the pool. She entered the pool area and saw someone was already in the pool with someone sitting on the bench.

She realized it was Momiji on the bench and Hatori in the pool. "Hey Momiji" Tohru said waving at him. "Hey, Tohru, did you come to swim" he said excitedly. "Yea, I love swimming but unfortunately I don't get many chances" she said looking toward the pool. "Hatori loves swimming too he was on the swim team at school when he was younger" Momiji said looking toward Hatori who was swimming like a professional.

Tohru watched him mesmerized as if she were in a trance. Momiji broke the trance by saying "Are you going in Tohru. I'll go in if you do, I don't like swimming as much as Tori does but I like swimming with my friends."

The rabbit like many zodiac had a crush on Tohru and he tended to be a little more flirtatious than the rest. When he was slightly younger, he didn't realize what he was doing but as he got older and realized he was flirting with her it had become a habit that was hard to break and that Tohru allowed.

"It's alright Momiji you don't have to come in if you don't like it" she said. "Okay, I'll just watch" he said with his innocent smile.

Tohru's favorite part of swimming was diving. She was always told she was very graceful. When she was younger she would often stay after school and swim in the pool, when the swimming teams and diving teams weren't using the pool of course.

When she was sure that Hatori was a safe distance away, she walked onto the low diving board and got ready to dive.

Hatori surfaced and turned enough to see her make a graceful dive into the water, barely disturbing the surface of the water. Hatori kept watching till she resurfaced and then he pretended not to have noticed. Though Momiji noticed him watching her and wasn't sure what exactly was happening but he was sure Hatori looked like he liked Tohru. Momiji felt jealous of them but didn't know what to do so decided to ignore what he saw as best he could since he loved them both like family which Hatori was.

Tohru looked toward Hatori to see if he had noticed when she surfaced. When she saw him looking away, she went back to swimming disappointedly. She had hoped he would be impressed by her ability and would come talk to her about it. She loved any reason to talk to him.

After swimming for an hour and diving three more times, she climbed out and grabbed her towel. She hadn't noticed but every time she went to dive Hatori was watching her.

She went to get ready for dinner. She grabbed one of the long sleeved dresses. It was a red velvet one with a black belt and a red ribbon to go in her hair.

When she walked down the stairs she saw Hatori coming up to get ready. Hatori almost fell from shock. She was beautiful and he couldn't take his eyes of her. When he turned around he came face to face with Ayame who was smiling like the Cheshire cat. Hatori tried to walk past without acknowledging his presence but Ayame turned around and followed him up the stairs.

"She looked gorgeous didn't she" he said happily. "Who" Hatori said trying to pretend to be oblivious. "Don't say that, I saw you staring at her in that pretty red dress" Ayame said on the edge of a whine. "I was not staring" he said as his hair fell into his face. He blew his hair away from his good eye and walked into his room. When he heard Ayame leave he leaned against the door and slid down till he was sitting and shook his head covering his head with his hands for a moment. "Why couldn't he forget about her, why did she make him feel this way, why did she make him feel better than he had ever felt with anyone, even Kanna"? After another moment, he got to his feet and got ready for dinner.

Tohru sat in the recreational room with Kisa and Momiji listening to them talk about school and the things they wanted to do on this vacation. They both made plans to do something with Tohru over vacation. They also made plans for all three of them to do something together. After ten minutes Hatori came down to join them. Hatori sat next to Momiji while Kisa moved to sit on the other couch with Tohru and they told Hatori what they were talking to Tohru about.

"He looks good when he relaxes" Tohru thought to herself. "Wait, Tohru, stop, he doesn't want you, you're to young, he will never feel the same way as you" she thought sadly.

A minute later, they were called to the table for dinner and all got up quickly causing Tohru to fall into Hatori. Thankfully, Hatori caught her at arm's length and helped her right herself. She looked up with a blush and let out a timid thank you that's when she realized how close they were. Kisa and Momiji who had been about to leave watched, both smiling.

As they all sat down, there was a lot of talking and arguing. It was finally decided that Yuki and Kyo would be at the far ends of the large table and on the right it would go Hatori, then Momiji, then Tohru, then Kisa and then Hiro from left to right. On the left side would be Ayame, then Shigure, then Haru, and then Kagura who would be closest to Kyo.

When everyone finally settled in their seats, Ayame stood to make an announcement while sneaking peeks at Hatori and Tohru. Hatori kept glancing at Tohru while Tohru was happily chatting with Momiji and Kisa. Ayame smiled with pride because he knew the dress made Hatori look at her more than usual. When he stood up and tapped his glass, everyone looked his way. "Tomorrow night we will have a special event" he started to say. Then Shigure stood up and said "It will be a dance in the ball room for everyone to enjoy". "We asked the men to bring suits and the women have dresses in the bottom drawer of their dresser in their rooms" he said smiling dramatically. "And as a special surprise we have invited Tohru's friends to join us" he was now beaming. Tohru looked so surprise and very happy as well.

After dinner when the girls got up the stairs they broke off to go to their separate rooms. Tohru walked into hers and opened the bottom drawer of her dresser. She smiled at the well wrapped box she found in the dresser. The box was covered with white paper and dark blue snowflakes and a bow to match. She gently tore off the paper and opened the box. She looked at the dress in awe. It was exactly like the paper. It was white velvet with dark blue snowflakes on the belt, bottom edge and the sleeves edge at the bottom as well. It was floor length with long sleeves that flared toward the end of the sleeve.

She was startled when her door suddenly opened and Kisa and Kagura came running in excitedly. Kisa's dress was blue with a black belt and bottom edge while Kaguras was green with a dark green belt and bottom edge, but out of everyone's they liked Tohru's the best.

"We probably aren't supposed to show anyone" Kagura said. "Yea, Grandpa Ayame tried hard to keep them secret" Kisa chimed in quietly. Tohru agreed with them and went to put the dress away in its box. The other two girls headed to their rooms to do the same before coming back to sit and talk with Tohru.

They had talked for about ten minutes about the dance when there was a knock on the door. "Come in" Tohru said. The door opened and Hatori walked in.

The girls saw Tohru smile quickly as he walked in. she was always smiling but this was different it was like she was happier than usual. They giggled and turned to Hatori. "Time for lights out" he said his serious look softened a bit as he glanced at Tohru. Kisa and Kagura nodded and got up to head to their rooms.

"Now" Tohru thought, "Ask him now; before you chicken out". "Um, Hatori" she said nervously. "Yes, Tohru" he answered. "Um, would you like to dance with me at the dance" she said so quickly it was almost a blur. "Um, sure" he said blushing as he hid behind his hair. She smiled happily and said "thank you". He turned away and walked to his room with a smile on his usually stern face. Ayame and Shigure peeked out the door when they heard him coming down the hall. They almost gasped when they saw him smiling. They quickly and quietly shut the door and gave each other high fives. That night Tohru's and Hatori's dreams held hopeful prospects for the next day.


	5. The Ball

The next morning she woke up at 7:30 surprised that she had even slept in a small amount. She knew they had breakfast every morning at 8:15 so she decided to take a shower. 30 minutes later she put on the pink blouse and jeans and set out the pink snow outfit so she could grab it and put it on when she had to go meet Hatori to go skiing. After she finished getting ready she headed down for breakfast. It was 8:10 so she had five minutes to reach the dining area.

When she reached the bottom step, she tripped falling into a surprised Hatori who had been walking around the corner. She heard the unmistakable 'poof' before turning to face Hatori who had turned into a seahorse. She apologized while she headed for the rooms with Hatori and his clothes in her arms. Just as she set Hatori in his room she heard the same 'poof' which caused her to let out a squeak of embarrassment and closed the door quickly.

She stood outside the door waiting for Hatori to dress. When he came out she began to apologize, stammering slightly because of the embarrassment. She stopped when she felt his hand on her shoulder. When she looked up he said "It was not your fault don't worry, okay?" looking at her with kind eyes. She nodded wiping away the tears that had started to form.

Together they headed for breakfast, which they ended up being ten minutes late to. Tohru blushed when she and Hatori walked in late. Hatori looked as though he couldn't care less. But Kyo and Yuki had the worst looks on their faces that they had ever had.

They sat down quietly and proceeded to eat which after a moment the rest of Hatori's family did as well.

Later after breakfast they met at the snowboard and ski shop after Tohru had put on her new snow suit.

While Tohru had been changing Ayame and Shigure had come over to talk with Hatori while he waited for Tohru. "So what's with the two of you arriving late to breakfast this morning?" Ayame said his Cheshire cat grin creeping Hatori out though he didn't show it. "Nothing, she fell, I changed" he said indifferently. Ayame pouted as though he expected some juicy story. Shigure did till they saw Tohru coming. Ayame made a fuss over her in her snow outfit making her blush and Shigure smiled. Just then he caught a glance of a livid Kyo and Yuki.

Eventually Ayame and Shigure let Tohru head into the shop with Hatori. "Get some skis, a mask and a helmet" he said pointing to the racks. "But" she said staring at her feet. "I'm paying, no arguments" he said as she opened her mouth to protest. She blushed at her predictability before picking a pink helmet, mask and a set of skis as Hatori chose some for himself. He paid and they headed for the slopes.

They skied for close to an hour before they headed indoors. Hatori headed as much fun watching Tohru ski as he had skiing himself. He loved the look of her red cheeks and bright eyes as she skied. She obviously enjoyed skiing very much.

She wasn't sure what she enjoyed more skiing or skiing with Hatori. She enjoyed the speed and exhilaration of going down the slope and the look in his eye. Although they only went on the bunny slope Hatori and Tohru had the time of their lives.

Hatori was worried to go on any harder slopes for fear she would get hurt for the entire hour they stuck to the bunny slopes.

After skiing they went to the lodge for some hot chocolate for Tohru and coffee for Hatori. While they drank their drinks they talked about skiing. They decided they would try to ski together every morning till they left Sunday morning.

The dance was at 5:00 p.m. and it was only 10:15. She wasn't sure what to do for the next few hours. Suddenly Momiji and Kisa came running over with Hiro behind them. They told her that their favorite movie was playing in the recreation room and they wanted her to join them to go watch it. She nodded and said goodbye to Hatori before following them.

Hatori smiled, she was so good with them. One day she would be a wonderful mother. He shook his head what was he thinking. He got up and decided to go to the hot tub.

Tohru was spending time with the little kids but he mind was elsewhere until Momiji asked her what they should do together after the movie and she remembered she promised Momiji that they would spend some time just them today. She turned to him and asked "Are we allowed to use the kitchen". "Yep, It's fully stocked I think" he said. "What do you say we make some treats, I can teach you how" she smiled. "Yes, Yes, Yes let's I can't wait" he said bouncing eagerly in his seat. He was like that throughout the entire movie.

When they headed to the kitchen she saw Hatori and waved as he passed. She then followed Momiji to the kitchen which was huge. She turned to Momiji and asked what he wanted to make and Momiji replied with sugar cookies, brownies and angel food cake.

Tohru got together the ingredients while Momiji got the pots and pans that she instructed him to get and for the next two hours she taught Momiji to make some of his favorite desserts.

Hatori decided after a half an hour that he had been in the tub long enough. When Hatori got out of the dressing room he came face to face with Kyo and Yuki.

"What's the big idea with Tohru asking you to the dance and you two arriving late to breakfast" Kyo said his face red with anger. Yuki was content to just glare at Hatori. "She tripped, I changed now may I pass" Hatori said not even looking at Kyo. Kyo was ready to hit him when Kagura came barreling through knocking Kyo away and letting Hatori pass calmly by Kyo and Yuki.

"Damn dragon smug as hell" Kyo thought to himself as he ran from Kagura who had been asking him to the ball since early morning.

After Tohru and Momiji left Kisa and Hiro decided to watch another movie. Kisa grabbed her bag from the corner and grabbed the movie that she and Tohru had watched a long time ago. She remembered that she had promised Hiro they would watch it together. She slipped in the movie and sat down with Hiro on the couch. "Um, Hiro" Kisa said quietly. "Yes" he said turning to face her. "Um, will you go to the dance with me?" she said quickly her eyes shut from fear. "Sure, I'd love to" he said his face reddening with each word. Kisa looked so happy as she rested her head gently on his shoulder as they watched the movie.

When the movie ended Hiro slumped disappointedly as Kisa got up to put the movie in its case. "See you at the dance" she said as she headed up the stairs to get ready.

Tohru looked at her watch; it was time to get ready. She said goodbye to Momiji and told him to leave some treats for later. Momiji looked disappointed but did as he was told and put away the cookies and other treats.

She went up the stairs and to her room. She got out the dress and set it gently on the bed. She set the bow next to it as well as a set of white tights and a set of blue fancy shoes.

She went over to the mirror and brushed through her long brunette hair carefully. She wondered if she should do anything with it. Finally she decided it was better down. After that she got the tights on and then the dress. The bow came next and when she was done getting the bow in she looked in the mirror and brushed the rest of her hair. After that she got the tights on and then the dress. The bow came next and when she was done getting the bow in she looked in the mirror and brushed through the rest of her hair. She hoped she looked mature enough; At least enough for Hatori. She suddenly felt sick with all the butterflies flying in her stomach. She sat on her bed and looked toward the door. "I shouldn't go he's probably just doing this because he doesn't want to make me sad" she thought to herself sadly. Before she could Kisa and Kagura came in and said Ayame had told them to meet him in Tohru's room when they were done. Tohru smiled at how they looked in their dresses

Kisa, whose hair had grown slightly since when Tohru's first meeting with her, had her hair in a ponytail with a bow in it.

Kagura had curled her hair slightly and had made a ponytail which also had a bow in it.

Tohru smiled they both looked wonderful. A moment later Ayame came floating in even though he was in a suit. He smiled when he saw them and ushered in the guests, Hana and Uo. Just as she got up to hug them she noticed two more people walk in.

Rin and Mine looked at Tohru. Mine smiled while Rin had the same glare on as always. Mine and Tohru's friends made a fuss of her in the dress. When Mine and her friends were done making a fuss of her, Mine pulled out the rest of the dresses. Rin's was black with a white belt and bottom. "No doubt for Haru's pleasure" Tohru thought happily. It was no mystery the two were close, Rin and Haru that is. Mine's was purple with a pink belt and edge and Hana's was just black with no sleeves at all. Tohru smiled that was the way she liked to be formal. Uo's was also black but what made her extremely happy with the dress was Tohru's mother's gang symbol, the red butterfly, was on the back the same way as it was on Tohru's mothers long coat. Tohru loved everyone's dress although she wasn't sure why Ayame had made her dress the way he did.

After everyone had gotten ready, they waited for Ayame to call them to go downstairs. While they waited Tohru's friends smiled and chatted with Tohru while Kisa sat in Tohru's lap while Tohru brushed Kisa's ponytail until it was like silk.

Finally Ayame called up to them. The girls all got to their feet and made their way to the door. Tohru and the others walked to the Ball Room to meet up with the guys.

Hatori and the other guys had been ushered down when they had finished getting ready. After Ayame had made sure all the guys were ready and in the Ball room, he went to get the girls. Hatori had turned around and chatted with Momiji who was now almost as tall as Hatori. All of a sudden he saw Momiji look toward the door which had suddenly opened.

Tohru scanned the guy's shocked and surprised faces until she saw him. She blushed when she realized who he was staring at. She approached him nervously. "Do I look okay" she said averting her eyes after she approached him. "Wow" was all he could manage to say. Tohru looked up and smiled; he was staring.

Ayame smiled proudly as he saw the pairs pairing up. Suddenly he felt a hand touch his hand. Mine sat her head on his shoulder. "You did a good job" she said to him. "So did you" he said turning around to see her smile.

Kisa smiled as she walked by Tohru's side until they entered and broke away from each other. She headed toward her date. "Hello Hiro" she said nervously as she approached. Hiro turned to her and stopped stunned. "What should I do now?" he thought to himself. "Are you okay, Hiro" Kisa said looking at him worriedly. "Yes, I'm okay" he said harshly but kept one eye on Kisa not daring to look away for fear she may go away.

Haru stood quietly an almost smile on his face when he saw Rin. He came dangerously close to a smile when he saw the colors of her dress, "his colors" he thought to himself. He saw her walk toward him and he walked toward her. "Good to see you" he said nonchalant. "Whatever" was all she said.

Kagura's and Kyo's meeting was brief when she slammed him against the far wall in which everyone had to dodge a flying Kyo.

Tohru looked around everyone loved the dresses that Ayame had made. Just then Hatori noticed all the snowflakes on Tohru's dress. Now he knew the reason for all this. He remembered the conversation where he had asked her "what does snow turn into when it melts" and she had answered with "spring" which was the same answer that Kanna had taught him a long time ago.

He smiled at the memory which confused Tohru who had turned back around at that moment. Hatori looked at her as the music started to play. The first few were quick songs so Hatori and Tohru spun around the dance floor laughing and dancing until they were out of breath and sat down for two of the songs. When Tohru looked around she saw Uo dancing with Shigure who was chatting easily with the tall girl about Tohru's mother's gang. She saw Kisa dancing with Hiro which she loved (the two of them together) knowing how Hiro felt about Kisa. Kyo had finally decided that dancing with Kagura was safer than getting thrown into walls. Hana was dancing with Yuki who had put on his 'prince' persona.

Hatori suddenly extended his hand to pull Tohru to her feet when a slow song started playing. Tohru looked surprised and blushed (I know this word is used to often sorry). Hatori got as close as the curse would allow while they danced. They talked about everything they could think of. Hatori asked about what Tohru liked to do and what her mother was like. When Tohru asked Hatori about his parents he got quiet and said "I don't talk to them anymore" which pretty much ended that conversation. When they got tired again, instead of just sitting they got their coats and talked on the porch of the lodge. Tohru loved looking at the stars. They were so far away and yet so bright.

Hatori watched her look at the sky with a smile and started to point out some of the constellations and after a while they headed out of the cold and back inside.

When they walked in Momiji who had danced with pretty much everyone else came to ask Tohru to dance. Tohru looked at Hatori who said to go and dance with the happy bunny. Tohru smiled and nodded while she put her coat away before following Momiji back to the Ball Room.

She danced one song with Momiji and then one with Kyo, which Kagura didn't entirely like and then one with Yuki, which Kyo hated. "Damn rat, I was dancing with her" he said as a dark eerie cloud appeared over his head.

After she was done dancing with everyone she was exhausted. She sat down to rest next to Hatori who was smiling. Tohru looked confused at his expression. When he saw her looking, he changed his expression. He had been smiling at how much she was enjoying herself. He loved seeing her happy.

After everyone started to tire they were called to dinner. They all sat next to their "dates". Hatori pulled out Tohru's chair for her and helped her like a gentleman should and then settled in his chair next to her.

Tohru blushed. "Thank you Hatori" she said smiling and looking at her feet. "He really is so kind and so nice she thought to herself. After dinner Tohru really wanted to look at the stars again. Hatori saw her going to the door, he followed her and handed her, her coat. Then, after getting into his coat they went out to the porch. Tohru walked to the railing on the porch and looked at the stars. They both stood looking at the stars for 20 minutes before heading back inside. They said "goodnight" and headed up the stairs to their rooms.

When Hatori reached the hallway with his room in it he was bombarded by Ayame and Shigure. "So did you kiss" Ayame said. "Well, I guess no one can say you don't get to the point" Hatori said trying to pass them. "So, did you" they both said. "No, we didn't". At that point he was able to pass them. He went into his room and began to get ready for bed. He was so distracted he almost put his shirt on inside out. He let out a sigh and worked to right his shirt. When he was done getting ready he went to bed though after four hours he gave up and decided to get something to eat.

He remembered it had always been like this until he met her. Since then she had convinced him to eat better which improved his health and his ability to sleep. He walked downstairs and into the kitchen. He looked up to see Tohru at the pantry. "Hey there" he said making her jump. "Oh, hello Hatori, I couldn't sleep so I was enjoying some of the treats I made with Momiji and was getting some tea to drink with it, would you like some"? "Sure" he said reaching for some cookies for himself. He set his plate next to her plate and went to help her with the tea. She couldn't reach the tea put on the top shelf of the cupboard so he reached up for her. She smiled and turned to make the tea. He watched her graceful movements before going to get the tea packets. He saw some strawberry tea and reached for that for her and got green tea for himself. He walked out and handed her the strawberry tea. When she saw what it was she looked excited. "Thank you, Hatori" she said slightly high pitch from her excitement. Just then the water got hot enough and Tohru reached for the kettle. It was so hot she burned her hand and yelped. She pulled her hand away and Hatori reached for it. He then grabbed a towel and put some cold water on it and some ice in the towel. He grabbed her hand and dabbed the towel on it. She twisted her face in pain. He looked at her with sympathy. He handed her the towel and grabbed another towel before grabbing the hot kettle. He set it on the counter before turning his attention back to Tohru who had tears in her eyes. He took the towel he just set down and dabbed at the tears. "Sorry" she said "that was dumb". "No, it was an accident we all make them" he said. She smiled and sniffled and tried to stop crying. When she was feeling better, he poured them some tea and set them near the treats. He helped Tohru into her seat and then sat down in his. He bit into a cookie and closed his eyes. They were so good though all of her cooking was.

When they had finished they handed upstairs to go to bed. Tohru accidently woke up Uo and Hana who had decided to stay the night.

"What happened to your hand" Uo said ready to kill the person who hurt her. "Nothing, it was just an accident" she said touching the bandage Hatori had put on the burn. "I reached for a hot kettle and burned myself" she got back into bed as she was talking. She was asleep and dreaming within seconds.

The third day she was ready and walking downstairs 25 minutes early. She walked into the Ball Room picturing the night before. She smiled happily. Apparently Hatori had the same plan because a couple seconds later he came in.

Hatori walked downstairs and entered the Ball Room. He stood watching Tohru swaying slightly. He went to grab her scared she would fall.

Tohru suddenly felt hands on her waist. She turned around in surprise and saw Hatori with a worried look on his face. Tohru couldn't help herself. She started to giggle uncontrollably. Hatori looked at her in surprise. "Was she okay" he thought to himself.

"Sorry" Tohru said giggling still. "The look on your face, I was thinking about last night. I had so much fun dancing" she looked down "especially with you, Hatori" again red crept its way onto her face. She turned her face away. Before Hatori could stop himself he reached for her chin, turned it to face him and kissed her on the cheek. "I had fun too" he said as a calm look came over him.

Tohru stood stunned as Hatori left. She never wanted to leave this resort. She had never been happier. It was depressing to think they had to leave tomorrow morning.

When she had "required consciousness" she went to breakfast. It was hard to believe that they had been talking for 20 minutes.

She walked into breakfast and sat next to Hatori on her one side and Momiji on her other. Kisa sat next to Hiro with her eyes shut and her head on his shoulder. Apparently they had grown close.

Tohru was worried what would happen when they all went home. "What would happen to Kisa and Hiro and Hatori and herself?" she thought to herself. She sat deep in thought all through breakfast which warranted worried glances from her "family" and friends. Hatori looked worried as well.

Did I overstep my boundaries; does she not like me like I like her; why did she ask me to the dance"? All these questions and more ran through his head. When they had finished breakfast everyone dispersed. Hatori walked over to Tohru. "Meet you at the pool" was all he said before turning away. Tohru smiled and ran up the stairs to her room and got on her one piece suit and grabbed her towel.

She had plenty time to swim. She agreed to join Kisa in the hot tub at noon. When she entered the pool area no one was in there so she put her towel on the rack. She went to the high dive, breathed in deep and dove into the clear water with the gracefulness of a dolphin just in time for Hatori to see. Every time she saw her he fell in love again.


	6. Growing Closer

When Tohru surfaced she saw Hatori staring at her. She blushed as she swam over to the edge. Hatori kneeled and told her they would talk after he changed. He got up and went into the dressing room. He stood for a moment, he thought he had planned exactly what he was going to say but now that he had a chance to say it he was having second thoughts.

Tohru was lying on her back, floating, while she waited for Hatori. "What should she say, what should she do" she thought to herself. "This is what she always wanted" that much she knew. She closed her eyes and thought smiling.

Suddenly Hatori came back out from changing and she righted herself. Tohru opened her mouth to say something but chickened out and shut it. Hatori climbed quietly into the pool and sat on one of the benches in the pool wall and motioned for Tohru to sit with him. When she sat he spoke "sorry I shouldn't have kissed you, even on the cheek, I wouldn't be surprised if you got angry with me" he buried his face in his hands. "No, Hatori, truth was… I feel the same way" she said quietly and played with her hair. Hatori looked at her shocked. "Ever since we met in school" she said growing quieter with each word. "Me as well" Hatori said. Tohru looked at Hatori to see him smiling happily at her. Tohru smiled and looked down and once again she felt Hatori kiss her on the cheek.

Tohru shivered with pleasure and slid back into the pool and for the next hour they swam and talked about … well… everything. After the hour she climbed out of the pool. She had thirty minutes before she had to meet Kisa. She had to shower and get the chlorine out of her hair or else it would smell when she met Kisa at the hot tub and she tended to put her hair up in the hot tub anyway.

She waved goodbye to Hatori who gave her a kind smile before she left. He decided to get out as well and go find Momiji. Hatori and Tohru had agreed to go night skiing on the well-lit bunny slope which would be the last time they would go skiing together on this vacation.

After twenty minutes Tohru was ready to meet Kisa. She walked down to go to the hot tub. When she reached it she walked in and saw Kisa already in there. "Hello" Tohru said walking in. "Hey" Kisa said smiling at her. "Sissy, come on in" Kisa said. "Ok, one moment" Tohru said going into the changing room. She undressed and wrapped a towel around herself. She stepped out and joined Kisa in the hot tub.

"So what did you do today" Tohru asked Kisa. "I played in the recreation room with Hiro" Kisa said looking down at the water. "Did you have fun" Tohru said. Kisa nodded and smiled still looking at the water. After a moment Kisa spoke again. "Sissy… do you like Grandpa Tori" Kisa said her eyes looking slightly worriedly at the water still. "Um, well, um, I guess I do" Tohru said getting quieter with each word.

Uo and Hana had left that morning after breakfast. They saw that Tohru was having fun and enjoy herself. They also noticed she was getting closer to Hatori. They were excited to see their "little" Tohru growing up and they were excited to see how this would turn out.

Kyo on the other hand wanted to rip Hatori limb from limb. He had never loved anyone like he loved Tohru but what confused him was… How did he like her? Was it like a mother or more than that?

After she and Kisa had talked for a half an hour they decided to get out because they were getting dizzy. They headed to the recreation room for another half hour after getting dressed.

Hiro was in the recreation room and he joined them. Thankfully they had ended their conversation on boys and had started on other topics like their favorite things to do and watch and more.

When they were done "hanging out" Tohru left but not before seeing them stick in another movie. Watching movies had kind of become "their thing".

Tohru walked upstairs and got ready for dinner. She was excited to go skiing with Hatori after dinner. She put on the shirt with zodiac animals on it. She also put on a pair of jeans and headed downstairs. She noticed Hatori just ahead of her and she hurried to catch up.

"Hey, Hatori…I was thinking … when we get back… would you like to go on a date" she said going twice as fast at the end. Hatori turned around absolutely shock and almost fell over. "Um, sure, we could do that" Hatori was now the one with a bright blush on his face.

He shook off the blush and they entered the Dining Hall where Shigure and Ayame were sitting ready for dinner. They sat down next to each other much to the amusement of Shigure and Ayame. Soon everyone was seated at the large table. As soon as they were settled one of the workers came out. Everyone was confused considering they never saw any of the workers while they were here. "Sorry for the interruption esteemed guests but due to the weather there are no buses or vehicles allowed. Most likely it will be two to three days before they can come. Sorry for the inconvenience" he said bowing before he left.

Hatori knew he wouldn't have problems taking off time from work but Tohru on the other hand; school meant a lot to her she would end up missing two days because tomorrow was Sunday.

(FOR ANY WHO ARE CONFUSED ANY TIME BEFORE THIS IGNORE MY CALENDAR, THE TRIP WAS THURSDAY TO SUNDAY. ARRIVED THURSDAY WAS SUPPOSED TO LEAVE SUNDAY.)

Tohru looked at where the guy had been standing. "Missing two days, unacceptable, her mother would be so disappointed" she thought.

She felt a hand touch her shoulder comfortingly. She looked to see Hatori's hand on her shoulder and his eyes looking at her worriedly. She gave him a small smile and turned to her food and started to eat so that no one would worry.

Hatori could see that she was not happy about the situation. He wished there was something he could do to change it but in a way he was happy this would give them another three full days with each other.

When they finished Tohru went to get on her snow suit. She met Hatori at the bottom of the stairs. He led her off to the side and kissed her on the cheek which earned him her smile. "Are you okay" he said whispering his eyes filled with concern. "Yea, I just don't want to disappoint mom".

Tohru's mother had died a year or two ago from a car accident. Her father had died when she was very young so she went to live with her grandfather. But though a series of events she came to live permanently with the Sohma's.

"If your mother was as great as she sounds she would understand and I know she probably knows you can't control the weather so don't worry" he said kissing her cheek again. This time Tohru smiled and nodded and tugged him toward the ski and snowboard shop. They got their gear and headed for the slopes. Again they skied for about an hour before heading indoors. They loved their skiing tradition and hoped they could continue over the next three days.

When they headed in they still had two hours before they had to go to bed. They decided to go watch a movie in the recreation room. They choose a movie and settled down on the couch. Tohru put her head on Hatori's shoulder during the movie. Just a little over halfway through the movie Hatori looked at Tohru who had been especially quiet for the past fifteen minutes and saw she was fast asleep. Her hair had fallen into her face which gave her a very innocent look. He quietly brushed the hair away from her face and looked at the kind girls sleeping face.

When the movie was done he shook Tohru awake carefully. "Tohru, the movie's over, it's time for bed" he said in a voice that was just above a whisper. She awoke with a start and looked at him through sleepy eye. She nodded and got up but almost fell over and managed to regain her balance with the help of Hatori. He helped her up the stairs and to her room as carefully as he could. He pulled out some pajamas for her and left her to get ready for bed. When he was sure she was okay he headed for his room. Again Ayame and Shigure met him and again he managed to get past them.

Ayame and Shigure headed back to their room. For the rest of the night they planned on ways to bring the two "lovers" together.

When she woke up she rolled over onto her back and stared at the ceiling. She wasn't going to school tomorrow. "Was her mother disappointed" all this was running through her mind. She looked at the side table where she had set her mother's picture. She stared at it for a short while before getting out of bed. She heard a soft knock at the door. She opened the door and saw Hatori standing there. She invited him in and blushed when she realized she was still in her pajamas.

Hatori turned around to face her when he saw her in her pajamas. He coughed into a fist to cover his embarrassment. "I wanted to know if you needed any help with breakfast" he said. "Sure, only if you want to Hatori, uh, I just need to change" she said grabbing her clothes and heading for the bathroom. She quickly changed and walked downstairs.

Because they were staying three more days than planned Tohru said the cooks could take a break and she would cook which the cooks were happy to agree to.

They walked down the stairs together hand in hand. She walked into the kitchen ahead of him. She started to get everything together under his watch. When she looked at him the look he had (good not bad) made her get shivers up her spine she looked away, took a deep and started getting ready. He kept watching helping her when she needed it and making sure she didn't burn herself again. She was done in about 25 minutes with Hatori's help. With his help everything was on the table in five minutes. Just as they had finished everyone started coming in.

After everyone finished they complimented Tohru's cooking and then went to do their own things. Tohru asked Kyo if he was going to practice his martial arts in the Ball Room like he always did after breakfast. When he answered with a "maybe" she politely asked if he could let her watch. "If you want I could show you some move, if you want" he said looking away. Her eyes twinkled with excitement when she nodded.

When she and Kyo reached the Ball Room they saw Haru in there also practicing martial arts. Kyo started by showing Tohru how to block, and then moved onto some punches. They practiced for about an hour till Tohru started to pant from exhaustion. Kyo and Tohru talked as they exited the Ball Room.

They headed to the kitchen. When they got there Tohru got the brownies and set them on the table and then turned around to make tea. When she was done she sat and talked with Kyo for a while.

Suddenly Yuki came in which earned him a glare from the aggressive cat. Tohru had also promised they would spend some time together. She said "goodbye" to Kyo and left with Yuki. She asked Yuki what he would like to do and he just shrugged. Tohru just smiled and waited for him to choose. Finally he chose to play ping pong.

Last time Tohru played ping pong she had played so badly he had started laugh. Tohru remembered how much he had enjoyed that and so she followed him to the recreation room.

They played for over an hour because Tohru loved seeing Yuki laugh without worry. She didn't mind embarrassing herself as long as he kept smiling.

When they were done playing ping pong they sat on the couch to rest for a minute before Hatori came in. He seemed uneasy. All he said was "Akito's not happy" which earned a nod from Yuki and a worried look from Tohru. The he said "Don't worry he is always angry this is not anything new". Yuki looked at Tohru who had seemed to calm down a bit.

Yuki was jealous of the relationship between the two of them. They worried together very often and yet Hatori knew how Tohru would react to the news. He couldn't help but think that not being able to go home was actually beneficial for them. For the rest of the time that Hatori was explaining Yuki glared at him.  
When Hatori was finished he noticed it was getting close to 11 o' clock and it was almost time to start lunch. He motioned for Tohru to look at the clock also. When she saw the time she sprang out of her seat and bolted for the kitchen leaving Yuki and Hatori alone in the recreation room.

When Yuki could no longer hear her footsteps he turned toward Hatori. "What do you think you're doing" Yuki said. "I'm sorry, I don't understand" Hatori said crossing his arms. "You can't have her" Yuki said before running from the room.

Hatori shook his head and left the room. He walked into the kitchen where Tohru was making lunch. What he didn't know is he was followed by Shigure and Ayame. Tohru smiled when she saw Hatori enter.

Ayame and Shigure watched the two quickly make lunch as if they were doing a well-rehearsed ballet. They moved around each other gracefully and in no time the two were bringing the plates to the table. When they had finished Tohru went to call everyone to the table.

When she was gone Ayame and Shigure bombarded Hatori with questions. "So do you like her, will you two date, what is going on and does she like you" were some… well the ones he understood anyway.

"Good timing you two it's lunch time" was all he said as he tried to go around them.

Ayame and Shigure wanted answers and they knew how to get them. They smiled at each other and then said "If you don't tell us we will be forced to tell her stories about the Mabudachi trio and maybe even show her pictures". That got Hatori's attention and he sat with a groan and proceeded to answer their questions.

"Yes, I do like her, yes, we were planning on going on a date when we got back, no, not much is going on right now and I do think she feels the same way. Now does that answer all of your questions? This is not allowed to be repeated or you're not shot will be extremely painful. Understand me?" he said sternly. Ayame and Shigure nodded quite pleased with themselves.

They got up and headed to their seats while an exhausted Hatori lay back in his seat. Tohru walked in and saw Hatori relaxing and smiled to herself. "Maybe staying a few more days wasn't all bad".

After lunch Hatori was sure to call the school and leave a message that Yuki, Kyo, Momiji, Haru and Tohru weren't able to come to school for two days. He was also sure to call Shigure's publisher so she knew that Hatori wasn't trying to ditch her. The publisher didn't like it but was thankful he called so Shigure couldn't trick her with some dumb exercise. When he hang up he felt a small hand touch her arm and looked up to see Tohru standing there.

They went out to the porch which had become their "thing" and talked while Hatori smoked which he hadn't done much of the whole vacation. Tohru watched as he smoked but was to kind to tell him not to even though he did smoke for long.

All of a sudden Momiji came flying out the door followed by an angry Kyo and a calm Yuki. Tohru looked worriedly at the scene. Yuki walked up and explained that Momiji had been energetically bouncing around and around Kyo until Kyo couldn't take it anymore and chased Momiji outside.

Tohru ran inside quickly and got everyone's coats. When she came out she handed Yuki his coat and then ran off after Kyo and Momiji who were running in circles in the front lawn. Tohru looked worriedly at the two but was worried about approaching with Kyo so worked up. Suddenly Hatori shouted "you two get your coats from Tohru I'm not treating any colds okay". Momiji suddenly bounded over and grabbed his coat from Tohru while Kyo angrily took his coat from Tohru. Tohru noticed he was acting odd. He wouldn't look at her and was a bit rougher than usual when he grabbed his coat but didn't try to apologize. She watched as he walked away with a sad look on her face.

Hatori seemed worried Kyo and Yuki were changing but then again this was their decision but if Tohru changed could he handle it?

Kyo chased Momiji for a little while longer before sitting exhausted in a chair on the porch. At that moment Momiji asked Tohru if she wanted to make a snowman with him. She nodded and followed him into the snow which they played in for about a half an hour before they got too cold and went to go warm up by the fire in the recreation room.

Hatori followed them in and sat next to Tohru in front of the fire. They sat for a little while and then went to make dinner. After dinner they went back to sit in front of the fire again. With the warmth from the fire and the comfort of having Hatori sitting there made her fall asleep. The sound of her snoring made Hatori sleepy. He fell asleep moments later. He almost never slept but for some reason Tohru made him feel so relaxed and comfortable.

A few hours later Yuki came down for a drink. He grabbed the drink and headed for the recreation room. He opened the door and felt sick seeing them together. He shut the door causing Hatori to almost wake up but he ended up falling back asleep. In the morning Tohru woke up at 7 am with a start realizing where she was and who she was with. She nudged Hatori who grumbled and woke up. "Well, good morning" he said still very groggy. "Um, Hatori, we fell asleep in the recreation room" she said slightly embarrassed. "So we did" he said looking ready to fall asleep again. "Um, Hatori, I got to go get breakfast ready, I mean after I change" she looked ready to faint from her embarrassment. He nodded and got up and headed off towards his room. When she reached her room she closed the door when she entered, leaned against it and clutched her chest feeling like her heart would beat out of her chest.

After she had calmed down and changed she went to go make breakfast. When she reached the kitchen she saw Hatori there waiting for her.

"Tohru may I ask a favor" he asked when she entered. "Of course, Hatori" she said. "Truth… is … well… I don't know how to cook and was wondering if you would he willing to teach me" he said looking ashamed. "Sure, Hatori I would love to, we could begin this afternoon" Tohru said. Hatori smiled and then went to help her with breakfast. Again everyone loved Tohru's cooking and then went their separate ways. Everyone seemed happy except the rat. He glared at Hatori all through breakfast.

After breakfast Hatori and Tohru went for a hike in the woods. They saw a snowshoe hare and a lot of deer. They held hands as much as possible through the woods.

Hatori watched Tohru happily. She seemed excited about everything. When they weren't holding hands Tohru darted everywhere looking at everything. Then she would smile slightly embarrassed at her reaction. "So what would you like to do when we get back" Hatori asked. "Huh?" Tohru said looking up from a patch of flowers growing past the snow. "The date" he reminded her. "Oh, uh, I'm not sure. What would you like to do?" she said cheerfully. "I'm not sure either".

When they got back they decided they would go back and take naps in their rooms. When Hatori reached his room he went to get more comfortable clothes for sleeping and saw Kana's picture. He lifted it out and wondered if he was ready for this again. He may be a doctor but no doctor can cure a broken heart. Through he knew it could be healed and Tohru was doing that.

He set the picture down, grabbed the clothes, and went to sleep.

Ayame and Shigure knew they were winning. Phase two was complete because they were spending so much time together. Now for Phase three dating which they were sure they were going to do when they got back.

Tohru smiled; she loved how much time she was spending with Hatori and the rest of the Sohma's. She loved getting to know the family and she loved to see Hatori having fun. She fell asleep with thoughts of Hatori running through her head.

When she woke it was thirty minutes before noon. She got ready and went downstairs to prepare lunch.

When she got downstairs and got to the kitchen she saw Hatori looking through some cook books. Tohru was surprised. Hatori was completely serious when he asked her to teach him to cook. "Hello Tohru, what did you want to make for lunch" he asked. "Um, I'm not sure, what would you like to make Hatori" she asked. "How about this" he said pointing to something in the cook book. She nodded and they started to get the ingredients out. She went through every step explaining things along the way. He smiled the whole time and seemed to understand everything she was saying to some degree. When they had finished they brought the food in for lunch. When they got in through Tohru almost tripped but managed to regain her balance just in time before the meal fell. Hatori looked at her worriedly but she smiled at him and walked toward the table. He noticed she was limping slightly though. He told her to sit down and then set the food down. He walked over to her and looked her straight in the eyes and said "does your ankle hurt" he said with such seriousness that he even made himself flinch. Tohru shook her head no but when she stood to go get the rest of the food Hatori saw her wince. "Enough" he said slightly angry. "Sit" he said pointing to her seat. First he went to get the rest of the food and then he went and grabbed the first-aid kit. That's when Kisa, Hiro, and Momiji entered. When they saw Hatori bandaging Tohru's leg they got worried. "What happened, are you okay" Momiji said his eyes big and worried. Kisa also looked on the verge of panic while Hiro looked indifferent. Rin and Haru came in next still together (they hadn't left each other's side since the dance). They both looked at Tohru with raised eyebrows. They had already guessed what had happened. When Hatori was done he stood and moved over to his seat while Tohru turned around to face the table. Ayame and Shigure came in next. "What happened did the big, bad dragon harm our poor princess" Ayame said with flourish. "No, I tripped when we walked in from the kitchen" Tohru said waving her arms around frantically. She had to explain again when Kyo, Yuki and Kagura walked in, though Kyo and Kagura were so busy arguing and Yuki was so busy trying to ignore them they almost didn't notice. Yuki noticed and then immediately glared at Hatori who he knew had been with her. When Tohru was done explaining everyone sat down and started to eat. For a few moments there was an uncomfortable silence before Shigure started to joke and talk with Ayame and Momiji started to talk with Tohru and Hatori and Haru started to talk with Hiro and Kisa. When the meal was done everyone went their own was except Yuki, Kyo, Hatori, Tohru and Momiji. Kisa tried to stay but Tohru said her ankle was okay and Hiro managed to drag Kisa away. Kyo went to get up at the same time as Yuki earning them glares from each other. Tohru felt like something was wrong like they were angrier than usual. Hatori seemed not to notice or not even care. He help Tohru to her feet and to her room where he sat her on her bed and helped ease her into bed before leaving.

Tohru let out a sigh, she hated feeling useless. About a half an hour later Hatori came back in with a book in his hand. "Thought you might like something to do" he said raising the book slightly. She nodded and put on a smile again. He noticed something had changed slightly in her behavior. "Ok, what's wrong" he said giving her a look and then sat on the edge of her bed. "Nothing, really" she said but her look didn't change. He got closer and looked her in the eyes. She tried to look away but her discomfort was obvious. "Ok, I don't like to feel useless" she said a tear fell from her eye. Hatori was surprised, the same girl who never cried when she was hurt cried when she couldn't do anything.

"Would you like me to stay" he asked. "You don't have to go have fun" she said. He leaned against one of the pillars on the bed and said "this seems like fun to me I never really get to relax". He opened his good eye and smiled at her. "Um, Hatori would you like me to read to you" Tohru said holding up the book he had brought for her. He nodded and closed his eye again. After she had read about twenty minutes she looked up and saw that he had fallen fast asleep. They had about three hours before they had to go down to start dinner and she decided to just shut her eyes for a short while. She set her alarm and fell fast asleep.


	7. Home again

Chapter 7-Home Again

Hatori woke with a start when he heard the alarm go off. He almost fell off the bed before he realized where he was sitting. He then saw whose room it was and got up slowly careful not to disturb the sleeping Tohru but then he realized the reason she had set her alarm in the first place. He gently shook her awake. She looked up with still sleepy eyes and said "hmm, yes" while rubbing her eyes. "Time to make dinner" he said. Tohru perked up finally something she could do. She quickly brushed her hair and headed downstairs with Hatori's help.

When they reached the kitchen Hatori had her sit on a stool. He told her she could do the cutting, washing, mixing or whatever she could do while sitting but he would get the ingredients and do the cooking or whatever required being able to move around the kitchen. He told it was so he could learn to cook but they both knew better. Tohru looked disappointed but was excited to be able to do something that she agreed and remained sitting on the stool. First they decided what they were going to make and then Hatori got the ingredients while Tohru called out what ingredients were necessary. When Tohru had finished the preparations Hatori would cook. When they were finished Hatori brought out the food and tea and then proceeded to help Tohru get out to the Dining Hall.

Tohru looked sad once again when he had to help her to the table. When he saw her face he leaned down and kissed her forehead. She smiled and looked down at her hands in her lap as he sat next to her.

"When we get back I will give you some crutches and x-ray your leg to make sure it's not broken". Tohru nodded and saw Kisa and Hiro come in half asleep (they had fallen asleep during a movie they had just watched) next Yuki came in with Kyo yelling something about him being extremely arrogant. After that the rest of the family began to pour in. Everyone sat down quietly this was their second to last dinner here and no one was ready to leave. Tohru looked unhappy at the sudden silence so Hatori got a conversation going with her and eventually everyone joined in till it became another loud happy meal. After dinner they had three hours till they had to go to bed. Hatori wasn't sure what to do. When he looked at Tohru though, she kept glancing toward the kitchen. "Would you like to cook some more" he said his kind eyes looking her way.

In just the few days they had been at the resort his eyes had gone from the typical cold doctor eyes to warm and loving gentlemen's eyes. Everyone knew it was due to Tohru's influence except her.

"Can we?" she said with such excitement that Hatori let out a loud chuckle that frightened Shigure and Ayame who were doing their new favorite activity, spying on the new couple. They had spent so much time following the couple that they could clearly state where they had been every day since they arrived there.

"Sure, I'd love for you to show me how to make some desserts". When they entered the kitchen he sat her down on the stool and went to grab the cookbooks but this time he handed them to her and asked her to pick her favorite. She looked confused and nodded. When she opened the book she almost turned right to the page that had the recipe for strawberry shortcake. When she saw this Hatori saw her beautiful eyes twinkle. For the next three hours they spent time perfecting and sampling several strawberry dishes that he knew she would love. When he finally checked the clock even he was surprised. He told Tohru it was time to finish and clean up. He almost felt like continuing when he saw the disappointment that crossed her face. He felt terrible but reprimanded himself and started to clean up with Tohru's help. When they were done they packed everything in case there was some to bring home tomorrow and then Hatori helped Tohru up to her bedroom. After he had settled her in her bed for the night he made his way to his room with no doubt that he would have peaceful dreams. He was almost intercepted by Shigure and Ayame but he managed to evade them and make his way to his room. He fell asleep quickly and quietly.

The next morning he awoke feeling the best he's ever felt. He quickly got dressed and made his way to Tohru's room. She was still fast asleep when he entered after knocking. He quietly watched her sleeping for a moment. Then walked to her bedside and sat down gently on the edge of her bed. He gently shook her awake. Then he noticed the pictures of her mother sitting on her bedside table. He was always happy when he saw the picture of her mother. Her mother, even in the photos, had a smile that was infectious. Something she passed down to her daughter.

Slowly Tohru began to wake up. She rubbed her sleepy eyes like usual as she smiled up at Hatori. Hatori got her clothes for her and then left her to change before making their way downstairs. They happily made their way down the hall and into the kitchen where they chatted about the vacation and everyone else while they made breakfast. When they were done Hatori brought the food, tea and Tohru out. He sat her lightly down and just sat down as everyone started to come in. Yuki who almost ran into a wall before sitting in his seat was the last to arrive. After breakfast Shigure got everyone's attention and then said that everyone should be ready to leave because the bus would be at the resort at 7 pm. Almost everyone groaned they were having too much fun and didn't want to leave. Tohru was happy, she didn't want to miss any more school then she already had.

When Shigure was done everyone helped because they didn't want Tohru to want to get up. After everything was cleared, Hatori helped Tohru to her room and made sure she was settled and then left her to read and take a nap.

He headed for the recreation room. He turned on the television and then buried his head into his hands. He stayed like that for several minutes till he suddenly heard "it must be hard to watch TV like that". He looked up to see Shigure looking down at him. "What's wrong" he said his eyes showing rare concern but Hatori knew that was bound to change as quickly as it had started. "I'm worried about going back" he said shaking his head. "Why" Shigure said sitting next to him. "Akito" was all he needed to say. Shigure nodded; "he won't be happy about you and Tohru will he?" He leaned back and said "for once I have no idea what to do, the best you could do is be secretive about it till you can find a better idea" then he got up and left. Hatori knew he was right. If he called everything off now Tohru would be heartbroken and if he told Akito, he would become furious and that did no good the first time and he may even hurt her in the process. The problem was if Akito wanted to know something or thought something was going on behind his back it wouldn't be long till he found out.

He shook away his feeling of dread and headed for his room. When he was done packing he headed to Tohru's room to help her pack. He found her on the floor in front of her dresser. She was sitting up and pulling things out of her dresser. "What do you think you're doing?" he said leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed. He then walked over to her closet and grabbed the duffle in the bottom and set it near her. He figured she was already where she wanted to be there wasn't much he could do now except help her with her packing. While she got everything out of the drawers, he got everything out of the closet. He set everything on the floor near her. He left her snow jacket in the closet so that she could wear it when they left later.

They decided they would have dinner and then leave. Tohru was happy that she and Hatori could make dinner for everyone before they had to leave.

When she and Hatori had packed everything Tohru went to get up. Before she got to her feet Hatori came over and helped her sit on her bed. "Um, Hatori" she started to say. "Yes, Tohru" he said looking into her eyes. "Can we go watch a movie in the recreation room" she said looking embarrassed again which wasn't hard to make her feel. "Sure" he said getting up and then went to help her to her feet. When they got there Kisa and Hiro were also going in. "Would you like to watch a movie with us?" Tohru asked. "Yes, please" Kisa said while Hiro glared at the other couple.

Hatori was worried. It was already dangerous for him and Tohru to be in love behind Akito's back but what would happen if he found that there were actually two couple's that were dating behind his back. He shook his head when he saw Tohru looking at him worriedly. "Sorry, just thinking about something, what did you say" he said. "What movie would you like to watch" she said cheerfully. "I don't mind whichever you three would like to watch" he said smiling down at her. The other three discussed for a moment what to watch. They ended up going with Kisa's choice. When they stuck in the movie each couple settled down on a different couch to watch the movie.

When the movie was done they all got up and Kisa and Hiro walked over and settled in front of the fireplace. Tohru and Hatori decided they would go to pool that had a hot tub where you had to wear your bathing suit like in America. Hatori suggested it hoping it would help Tohru's leg and would make it feel better. Hatori helped Tohru to her room and grabbed one of her suits from her duffle bag and set it near her on the bed. He then left and went to get on his suit. When he was done he went and waited for Tohru in front of her room. He knocked and asked if she was done changing. When she said "Yes" he entered and saw her in her bikini, even though he had chosen it he looked away slightly red from embarrassment and tried to cough to cover it up. "Um, let's go" he said reaching his hand for her's which she eagerly reached for.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs they headed for the pool area. When they got in Hatori helped Tohru into the hot tub and then joined her. While they relaxed Hatori asked her more questions about her family. Tohru happily answered but when she asked about his family she got the same response as before, silence. "Sorry" she said looking back at the water. "No, it's nothing you said, it's just, I don't know what to say. You always say to look for the good in everyone but it's hard to find the good in my parents" he said his hair covering his sad looking eyes. "What do you mean" Tohru said looking confused. "They weren't kind, caring parents in the least" he said his eyes full of hurt and fear. Tohru touched his hand trying to comfort him. He smiled at her, his eyes full of sorrow and he kissed her forehead earning him the blush he used to cheer himself up a bit. He leaned back and began to explain about his parents. Tohru listened intently not daring to miss a word. He told her how his parents expected so much of him and when he disappointed them, they would beat him or just shun him completely but they also made him become a doctor for Akito which he had no choice in the matter and while he worked they would reap the benefits of having a "important child". He continued to talk for about ten to fifteen minutes.

Shigure and Ayame, who had been hiding in the dressing room with the door slightly opened to listen, were amazed. They had never heard Hatori talk about his parents even to them. He had always seemed upset and depressed whenever they asked so they had decided to stop asking.

When he was done Tohru was still holding his hand. He leaned his head down on her shoulder. She felt tears drip down on her shoulder and suddenly turned into a comforting mother. They stayed in for another half an hour till 11:00 am. They only got out because they needed to make lunch. Hatori had almost forgotten about Tohru's ankle till she tripped when she tried to climb out. He went to help her and received an apologetic look. He smiled at her and helped her all the way to her room. After she and he had changed they headed for the kitchen and did the same thing they done at breakfast. Tohru sat on her stool and called out what they needed and did the cutting, stirring and anything she could do without getting up. When they were done, Hatori brought out the food and helped Tohru out as well. When everyone had come to the table Shigure announced that dinner would be at 5:00 instead of 6:00 so that everyone could get ready. When they finished the meal, some headed towards their rooms while some went to have some fun while they still could. Tohru and Hatori decided again to talk for a little while. "Hatori, do you want to go back?" Tohru said resting her head on his shoulder. He smiled a bit uncomfortable with the closeness which was something that the Jyuunishi were not accustomed to. "I'm not sure, on one hand I have to get back to work on the other being here with you has been the best time of my life" he said making Tohru turn as red as the strawberries she loved so much.

It was hard to believe they had only been at the resort for six days considering how close they had become.

They talked for about a half an hour before they decided to do something else. They went to go swim and swam for about an hour with Tohru doing only light swimming in the shallower end. About ten minutes into swimming Kisa, Hiro and Momiji came in. They played water volleyball with the three kids against mainly Hatori since Tohru's leg wasn't at all better. Tohru was impressed by how calmly and well Hatori played. He was as quick and agile in the water as Kyo was at martial arts. When she tried to hit the volleyball though it would fly over her head and they would lose. One time she missed so badly she even heard Hatori laughing at her which for some reason put a huge smile on her face. She loved his deep laughter.

When they stopped playing Tohru sat on the edge of the pool, while watching Hatori swim four laps back and forth across the pool. She was impressed and loved how strong he was. His muscles rippled with each stroke. They spent another half hour like this.

When they got out they went to change in their rooms. After changing they went to the kitchen and finished what was left of the snacks that she had made with Momiji and Hatori. They talked some more, they wanted to know as much about each other as possible. They knew when they went home they would have little time to do that safely.

After a little while Ayame and Shigure joined them. They sat down to talk to the couple. Shigure was the first to speak. "So how are you two" he started. "Ok" they said in unison. "Just ok, Ayame what do you think" he teased. "Well, I think they looked very content together" he said. Hatori was waiting for the conversation to take a sudden turn and then it did. "So you guys kiss yet" Ayame said. Hatori looked at him in shock and Tohru sat silently looking at her hands, a deep red blush overtook her face. "We will take that as a yes" they said and then left as quickly as they had come. Hatori and Tohru sat stunned for a moment before they resumed talking. They talked about when and where they were going on their first date. They decided they would go to the zoo together on Saturday.

They decided after that to take a nap until dinner. After Hatori helped Tohru to her room he headed to his room. They fell asleep for about an hour and a half. Hatori spent the first hour dreaming about Tohru and about holding her close. Considering dreams show us what we desire the most, what he desired was to be with her always safely not having to worry about Akito or the curse.

When they woke up they both read the books they had on their bedside tables for an hour. Then they got out of their pajamas and Hatori headed for Tohru's room. He knocked her door and she answered "just a moment". A moment later she and Hatori were headed downstairs. When they got to the kitchen they quickly made what would be the family's final meal there. All during cooking Hatori and Tohru were completely silent.

When they were done Hatori brought in the food and the Tohru. Everyone was late so they were alone for about ten minutes. Tohru laid her hand onto his shoulder. She became very quiet so he looked at her. She was fast asleep, he smiled and didn't want to wake her but when he heard the others coming he knew she would he embarrassed if she was caught napping so he gently shook her awake. She awoke suddenly just as everyone came in.

Everyone was very quiet during the meal even Shigure and Ayame. For some reason Tohru felt very nervous and scared. She had become so use to the busy, loud family that the quiet was just too unusual. When everyone had finished they were told to gather their stuff and get ready to leave. Everyone looked depressed which upset Tohru. Hatori saw this and helped her up and brought her out of the Dining Hall and went to the porch after grabbing and putting on their coats. As he helped Tohru ease into a chair he saw her looking depressed and upset. They only had an hour till vacation ended and he went back to the main house and Tohru went back to Shigure's house. Suddenly he also felt depressed and upset. Seeing that Hatori too was becoming unhappy, Tohru tried to smile again and asked if he wanted to go sit and talk in front of the fire again. He agreed and also tried hard to smile for her. He helped her up and when they got inside put her coat on the coat rack as well as his own and headed for the recreation room. When they sat down Tohru tried to smile but dissolved into tears. The young girl who never showed sadness fell to tears at the thought of not having an easy time spending time with Hatori. She also thought of Kisa and Hiro who had also become so close on this vacation. Hatori wanted desperately to take her in his arms and comfort her. Instead he had her lay her head on his lap and stroked her hair gently, like a father would, trying to calm her down. After a moment she fell asleep and slept for half an hour. When she woke up she looked at Hatori who had fallen asleep sitting up with her head on his lap. She looked quietly at the clock and saw it was just after 6:45 and gently woke Hatori up. His eyes slowly opened to her now smiling face. He got up and smiled back. He rubbed his eyes and then he looked at the clock as well and realized they had less than fifteen minutes to get ready for the bus to come. He got up and then slowly helped Tohru to her feet and then upstairs. First they went to his room so they could grab his bags and then they headed to her room but Kyo and Yuki were already there each one had her stuff in their arms as well as their own. They glared at Hatori and headed downstairs. Hatori helped Tohru down the stairs and when they reached the front door he helped her get on her coat. They decided to wait for the bus on the front porch. When they got outside they saw that Kisa and Hiro had, had the same idea that they did. The young couple had their bags lying at their feet and Kisa had her head on Hiro shoulder and had tears in her beautiful amber eyes. Hatori and Tohru took a seat on the porch swing opposite from the younger kid couple (other side of the porch not directly across). Tohru understood why Kisa was upset in the times Tohru met Akito she had become very afraid of him. If he found out about their relationship, the thought made her shutter at the thought. Then she thought "what would he do if he found out about Hatori and I" the thought made her shutter again and look at Hatori's bad eye. She suddenly realized that he was looking concerned at her. "Are you cold, should we go inside" he asked looking her over making sure it wasn't any other reason. "No I was just thinking that's all" she said. "About what" he asked. Tohru looked nervously at her hands and said "Akito and us and them" looking at Kisa and Hiro. Hatori looked surprised, she had realized it too, that it was a dangerous situation. "Yea, I was thinking about that earlier" he said putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We have to be secretive about this till we know exactly how to word it so he won't get angry" Hatori said with a sad expression (Hatori thought "there is no way to word it so he won't get angry but hopefully it will calm her down"). "It probably isn't best to tell your friends either until we know how this goes" he finished. She looked unhappy but nodded. She disliked not telling her friends things but if she did they may get excited and what would happen if this didn't work out. "Don't get sad; don't forget we have our first date in four days. You want to go to the zoo right?" he said trying cheer her up. She nodded and her eyes lit up.

That was when the bus pulled up and her sad look returned. Hatori grabbed his bag and helped her to feet. "Tomorrow, I'll pick you up from school and give you the crutches then". Tohru was about to argue but then realized it was another chance to see Hatori and nodded. He smiled; he too wanted to see her as soon as possible. "That way I can bring you to the clinic and have that leg x-rayed as well" again she nodded. When they got on the bus they took their seats before the eager bunny bounced on and took a seat next to Tohru. Across from them Kisa and Hiro sat together. When everyone was on the bus pulled away. Tohru looked sadly at the slowly disappearing resort and their disappearing vacation.

The trip back would take about two and a half hours to three hours due to the snow. After the first hour Tohru laid her head down on Hatori's shoulder and fell asleep much to the jealousy of the other males who also loved her. Shigure and Ayame watched them proudly, thinking that Hatori was the one who deserves happiness the most for all he does for the family. Their plan had worked, this vacation was only part of it but it had gone off without a hitch.

The whole bus was eerily silent as if everyone was afraid that speaking would cause the ending of vacation to become real.

Suddenly Shigure remembered something and went to talk with Hatori. "Why don't you come over for dinner in two days, I'm sure that Tohru would love to have you over" he said a sly grin on his face. As much as Hatori knew something was up he agreed. He couldn't say no when Shigure mentioned Tohru's name. When they finally arrived back Hatori offered to drive Shigure, Kyo, Yuki, and Tohru home. Hatori picked up Tohru being careful not to hug her and got off the bus and went to his car. Shigure opened the door to the car and Hatori sat her between Yuki and Kyo who slid in after putting the bags in the back.

When they reached the house Hatori was afraid to carry her up the stairs in case he fell or tripped so he slowly shook her awake enough to walk and helped her up the stairs.

Still half asleep he settled her in bed, set her alarm and closed the door. When he was about to leave he heard Shigure call out "don't forget about coming over in two days". Hatori walked out and sighed before getting into the car and going home for the night.

When Tohru awoke to her alarm in the morning she saw she was in her own bed at home with no recollection of how she got there from the bus. She went downstairs after changing and got ready to make breakfast. Soon after Kyo came downstairs and when he saw her he scolded her and helped her over to the couch before lecturing her on how she wasn't doing herself any good. While she sat Kyo finished breakfast, set it out and then helped her over to the table. She kept apologizing over and over. Kyo loved it when she became flustered and red. After everyone came down they ate and when they were done and everything was cleaned up Kyo helped her get her stuff and made her wait on the couch for Hatori to arrive. Then he went upstairs to get ready just as Yuki was coming down from getting ready. "Keep an eye on her could ya, you damn rat" Kyo said glaring as he walked by Yuki gave him a look of pure malice and walked into the living room. Yuki talked with Tohru to keep her busy till Hatori arrived.

After coming in Hatori went to help Tohru to the car and asked Yuki and Kyo, who had just come downstairs, if they wanted a ride. They glared at him but followed him and Tohru to the car.

When they arrived at school Hatori helped Tohru out of the car and handed her the crutches. When Kyo and Yuki got out of the car they attached themselves to Tohru and made sure they didn't even give her the slightest reason to use her bad ankle.

Uo and Hana became very worried when they saw her and Uo's first reaction was to blame Kyo who she threatened to kill. Once Tohru calmed her down, she told her the truth. She only glared at Kyo after that. Hana even seemed to look a bit worried though her features never changed.

After school, as promised Hatori was there to pick her up. When Hana saw them together she felt very positive denpa waves coming from them.

Hatori offered to drive Kyo and Yuki home as well but they refused to be shoved in the back with Momiji and Haru and Yuki had student council anyway. Kyo also said that he was going to his Sensei's to make up for his lost practice time. He got in and took off. When they reached the Honke, Hatori helped Tohru out of the car with Momiji bouncing excitedly next to her and Haru glumly walking next to the energetic bunny. Tohru chatted with Momiji as they entered Hatori's clinic. When Tohru saw it she became excited she had seen his home but never the clinic.

After Hatori had x-rayed her leg with the help of one of his nurses who chatted happily with her, he found that she had just sprained it badly and it was healing quickly. He bandaged it and gave her the crutches back to walk with as they were walking they decided to spend some time together cooking. They went to Hatori's house followed by Momiji and Haru. They went inside and Tohru called Shigure to let him knew she would be home in time for dinner. He asked her where she was and when she answered at Hatori's he let out a quick smile and told her to have fun before hanging up.

She limped back to the kitchen and she found Hatori had already started to gather the ingredients that were needed and he had also found a cookbook that he had. When she entered he turned and smiled at her before grabbing a chair. She kissed his cheek to thank him for everything causing them both to blush.

The rest of the time they worked and laughed together. When they were done everyone, including Momiji and Haru sat to enjoy the meal. Momiji was astounded. "Hatori, did you really make this, it's so good" he exclaimed taking another bite. "Yea, I only helped a little bit" Tohru answered loving how Hatori seemed embarrassed by the compliment.

They ate in silence for a little while till Hatori asked "how is your ankle feeling". "It feels better now that you bandaged it and I haven't been putting pressure on it" she said smiling brightly.

She had no idea what was waiting for her tomorrow.


	8. The date

Sorry for not updating sooner just entered college and have not had time to even breathe Sry.

The next morning was the same as before but at breakfast Shigure announced that Tohru would be alone that evening. Kyo would be at his Sensei's till late, Yuki had a meeting with the student council and was going out to dinner with them afterwards and Shigure had a meeting with his publishers about his new book then they were going to dinner as well.

Tohru listened and told everyone to have a good time. Kyo and Yuki felt awful but Shigure knew that she would not be alone. He hid his evil grin behind his yukata.

After school Tohru waved goodbye to Yuki and Kyo and headed home. When she arrived she saw Hatori in the driveway. She waved hello and limped up to him with concern. Hatori wasn't surprised that Shigure hadn't told Tohru that he was coming and that was why he decided to come a little early but he hadn't thought about what to say if she didn't know. "Um, I wanted to check how you were doing" he said. Tohru answered "I'm feeling great, would you like to stay for dinner, and everyone is out tonight so there will be plenty". Now he knew the plan Shigure had. Shigure had left him a situation he couldn't say no to and also left him alone with Tohru. "I'd love to" he said smiling at her. "That's great" she said practically floating as she headed inside. When she turned to head inside he sighed and rubbed his head.

When they entered Tohru quickly got to cooking with Hatori's help. When the meal was done they set the table and put the meal out. They sat down to eat and decided to talk while they were at it. "So when's graduation" he asked. "3 months and I'm so nervous" she said sighing. "Why, I'm sure you'll do great" he said putting his hand on hers causing her to look away blushing. "Thank you" she said quietly.

When they were done Hatori cleared the table after telling Tohru to take it easy and relax, but when he came put to grab more dishes he saw Tohru clearing the table and sighed because he knew no matter what he said she wasn't going to listen and went to help her.

After they cleared and washed the dishes they sat down and watched the television for a little while. Suddenly Hatori said "Don't you have any homework". Tohru gasped and ran up to her room to grab it. When she came downstairs, Hatori had made tea and was sitting down at the table ready to help her.

Tohru limped down the rest of the stairs with her bag in hand and sat down at the table thoroughly embarrassed by her forgetfulness. "You must think I'm so irresponsible" she said on the verge of tears. "Of course not, it's my fault for not telling you I was coming" he said sighing and leaning back. "No" she said quickly "I'm actually very glad you came" she said very quietly looking at her hands. "Ok so let's agree it's no one's fault" he said waving a finger at her. "Ok" she said a bright smile on her face. They finished the homework in record time towards the end Tohru seemed like she was nodding off. Hatori helped her to her room and said "goodnight". Tohru kissed him goodnight before thinking which could them to both look surprised and embarrassed. "Um, goodnight" she said quickly before he left. He decided to wait for Shigure so he could give him a piece of his mind. Yuki and Kyo came in just as he was coming downstairs. "What are you doing here you damn dragon?" Kyo said bristling. "I came to check on Tohru and she invited me to stay for dinner. I didn't want to leave her alone in case she felt like cleaning or something" giving Kyo a look that made the cat feel guilty. Hatori looked at him coldly and crossed him arms across his chest. "Don't worry, I'm just waiting for Shigure to come home" he finished. "Um, where is Miss Honda" Yuki said interrupting the tense situation. "She's asleep" he said turning towards Yuki. "What about her homework" he asked. "It's done" Hatori said. "Oh" Yuki said unhappily. He loved helping Tohru with her homework why did Hatori have to take away his time with Tohru away from him.

Yuki and Kyo went to bed and Hatori sat down to wait for Shigure who came in twenty minutes later to a very unhappy Hatori. "Oh hello Hatori" he said shutting the door. "What were you thinking telling me to come over tonight" he said starting to look even angrier as well as embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I didn't want her to be all alone" he said raising his hands in defense. Hatori calmed down "whatever I'm going home" he said. "Wait Hatori why don't you just stay the night it's late" Shigure said. Much as he didn't want to be part of Shigure's plot driving home didn't sound all that appealing. "Fine, but I have to be home tomorrow". "That's great you can stay in the guest room" Shigure said excitedly.

Tohru awoke to the sound of someone in the kitchen the next morning. She quickly dressed and came downstairs and saw Hatori making breakfast. She stood shocked in the doorway. "Good morning" he said turning back to cooking. "Uh, good morning, sorry, I thought you went home last night" she said embarrassed for being caught staring. "Yea, well Shigure invited me to spend the night" he said. "Oh" she said before helping him with breakfast. When everyone came in for breakfast, Hatori and Tohru were setting everything out much to the distain of Yuki and Kyo and much to Shigure's enjoyment. "WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING HERE" Kyo practically screamed. "I was invited to stay by Shigure" Hatori said sitting down. Kyo looked ready to throw Shigure through a wall till Tohru calmed him down. After everyone was done Hatori offered to give Kyo, Yuki and Tohru a ride to school. Kyo and Yuki only agreed after Tohru did. Kyo, Yuki, and Tohru went to grab their bags and were ready to head out.

When they got out at school they got a lot of looks especially by Tohru's friends who recognized the vehicle and went over to greet "their" Tohru.

After that the day went by in a flash and Saturday came faster than expected.

As Tohru opened her eyes on Saturday morning she smiled quietly to herself. Today was the day that she would go on their first date.

She quietly got dressed in a white sundress with a yellow belt that gave her the look of absolute innocence.

She decided that she would make a picnic for lunch so while she was getting breakfast ready she made lunch and did some cleaning. For a moment when Kyo came downstairs he just watched her work amazed at how gracefully she could multi-task and not get hurt now that her leg was healed. When she saw him she smiled and said that breakfast would be done soon. He nodded angrily because he was caught watching and walked upstairs to change into his day clothes from his work-out clothes. Soon after that Yuki came down still half asleep and leaned his head onto Tohru's shoulder making her jump slightly. Soon after breakfast was ready and everyone came down to eat.

"So your date's today huh, Tohru?" Shigure said an odd slightly malevolent grin on his face. "Yep" Tohru answered quietly with another blush. Kyo and Yuki just stared angrily at the dog for bringing that up. Suddenly the doorbell rang and Hatori stood there waiting. When Tohru opened the door and Hatori saw the outfit she was wearing he was amazed how something so simple made her seem even more beautiful if that was possible. He slipped inside after Tohru invited him in. She offered him some tea and breakfast which she always made too much of. He sat down across from Shigure who had a slightly evil grin on his face as he looked at Hatori. Soon after that Tohru came out with a plate full of food for Hatori. Hatori started to eat while he kept his good eye on Tohru who was chatting happily with Yuki and Kyo would intervene every couple of minutes.

When they were done everyone helped clear the table while Kyo grabbed Tohru plate for her. She looked ready to argue but Kyo gave her a look that made her sit back down.

Kyo was ready to kill someone, his nerves were so fried. He loved Tohru very much but he always seemed to hurt her in some way. He knew that Hatori needed her but what about him. What was happening and what could he do?

When everyone came back in Hatori helped Tohru up and said "Shall we go". "One moment" she said running into the kitchen. she came out with the picnic basket in her hand. She turned to Kyo, Yuki and Shigure and said "Your lunches are in the fridge. They each have your names on them so you know who's is whose and …" she thought for a moment. Suddenly Shigure was pushing them towards the door. "Go have fun, don't worry we'll survive without you for one afternoon somehow" he said smiling giddily. Tohru smiled as Hatori convinced her to walk to the door.

When they were finally out the door Hatori saw her look worried. Hatori reached for her hand and she smiled at him.

He helped her to his car and went over to the driver's side. They chatted and laughed the entire ride to the zoo. Hatori told her about some of the antics of the Mabudachi trio and she told him stories about living at Shigure's house.

When they reached the zoo, Hatori helped her out of the car but even after they got out her held her hand again not willing to let go. They walked hand in hand to the gate. When Tohru reached for her wallet, Hatori shook his head at her, grabbed his wallet and paid for the tickets before she could.

When they entered Hatori saw her eyes light up. Then he heard her whisper "The last time I was here I was with my parents" she looked sadly around her. Hatori lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her hand gently trying to comfort her and it made her blush as well.

"Well where would you like to go first" he asked looking kindly into her eyes. She thought for a moment before saying "let's go to the closest one first". Hatori nodded his head and looked at the map they had received when they walked in. "This says that the zebras are close to us on the right path". Tohru got eager and ran a few steps ahead before turning to wait for Hatori with a smile taking up most of her face.

When they reached the zebras, Hatori told her stories of when Rin was little and came to the zoo she was always fixated on seeing the zebras and how calm she was around them.

Next they went to the lions and tigers who were next to each other. Hatori told her stories of Kyo and Kisa and when they reached the mole rats he told her about Yuki. With each animal they saw he told stories about the corresponding jyuunishi.

The only one he didn't talk about was himself. He seemed eager to talk about his jyuunishi family but not about himself.

When they were done they went to a little café in the zoo and grabbed a table. They chatted for a moment before the waitress came and took their order. Hatori whispered something to the waitress before Tohru could order and she left. When she came back she had two orders of the specials and the two drinks they had ordered.

Tohru looked at Hatori who had a grin on his face. He knew that she would have ordered the cheapest thing on the menu and decided not to give her the chance. She took a bite and her face lit up. It was quiet while they ate. When the bill came Tohru reached for it but Hatori took it from her and paid for both of them. Tohru looked upset for a moment.

Hatori turned to her and said "is something wrong". "No, it's just, you don't have to pay for everything, it's alright I can pay" she said nervously. "Don't worry Tohru" he said. "You should save your money for the things you need and for school. I don't do much during the week but work, read and sleep so my money just is sitting there and I want to spend money for someone I love" he looked deep into her eyes and held her hands, making her look away and blush.

When they left they passed by a souvenir shop and Tohru asked Hatori if he would wait for her a moment. She ran in and a few moments later she ran back out with a bag. Hatori looked confused a moment before she pulled four medium sized stuffed animals from the bag. One was a rabbit with a small bag of candy, another was a tiger in a small pink t-shirt with the zoos logo, the third was a small sheep and the last one was a green dragon. Tohru smiled and handed him the dragon. Tohru looked at her feet and said "I know you probably aren't into stuffed animals but I couldn't resist when I saw him". Hatori smiled, took her hand in his and kissed it gently. "Do you think you would be able to give these to Kisa, Momiji, and Hiro" she said motioning to the bag. "Sure, of course I can" he said kissing her hand again. He grabbed the bag and put the stuffed animals into it. When they left, they left hand in hand with Tohru's head resting on Hatori's arm.

When they got into the car Hatori decided to surprise Tohru. Tohru was half asleep so she didn't notice when Hatori turned away from Shigure's home. She managed to notice when they hit a bump that woke her up. After looking around for a moment she realized they weren't going the right way. Tohru turned to Hatori with a confused look. "Where are we going" she said looking out the window. "It's a surprise" he said smiling happily at her. Again she looked confused. He reached for her hand and rubbed his thumb on the back of her hand gently while he drove. Finally he pulled into a parking lot and turned the car off. When Tohru looked up she saw a nice fancy restaurant. She looked surprised and was bouncing up and down.

They walked in and Hatori walked up to the hostess and said "Sohma". "Yes, Sir" she said "right this way" he led them to a room where suddenly she saw the entire family all sitting at the table. Kisa ran over and led to sit next to her with Hatori on her other side and Momiji on his other side. They ate and laughed and talked for a few hours before Kisa and Momiji fell asleep with Tohru also getting drowsy. They decided that it was a good idea to call it a night and to head home. The others all got into their cars after waving good bye to the new couple. Hatori turned to Tohru who smiled at him and hugged him thanking him for everything he had done for her and for inviting the family as well. She had been upset that the vacation had ended and was excited to see the entire family together again. Before they knew what was happening Tohru leaned up while Hatori leaned down till their lips touched. For a few moments it felt as if they were in another world. When it ended they both blushed and Hatori tried to cover up his embarrassment by coughing.

Tohru smiled and walked toward his car. Almost as soon as Hatori entered she leaned against his shoulder and fell asleep. Hatori was careful not to wake her on the way home.

When they reached Shigure's home he gently maneuvered her till she leaned against the seat. He got out and went over to her side. He gently got her out and carried her up the stairs to her room. He carried her away from his body so he didn't risk transforming.

Shigure smirked at them from the bottom of the staircase. He was very happy that they were finally going out and was a little irritated that it took them this long to figure out what everyone had known for nearly a year.

Hatori tucked her in bed and pulled the covers over her before touching his lips to her forehead and heading out. He was greeted by an evilly smiling Shigure who said "had fun". "What do you want, Shigure" Hatori whispered as he shut the door. "Nothing, just wondering" Shigure said following him down the stairs. "Goodnight Shigure" Hatori said walking out with Shigure watching from the doorway. When Hatori drove away Shigure turned and headed back inside and went to bed.

The next morning Tohru was up early again and making breakfast while humming along to one of her favorite songs on the radio. She also made lunch for everyone since they would all be out today. Kyo's sensei had asked him to teach a class for the first time. Yuki had a council meeting and Shigure had to meet his editor to discuss what to do about his next book. Tohru was always amazed how empty and large the house seemed while they were away.

Suddenly she heard Yuki and Kyo coming down the stairs arguing about leaving her alone.

"You have to stay, you stupid cat my meeting is mandatory and I'm the president" Yuki said. "No way, you stupid rat, I've been waiting for this for years" Kyo yelled.

"I'll be fine you guys, it's alright, all I am going to be doing is cleaning anyway it will be fine" she said a bright smile on her face as she finished setting breakfast on the table. Shigure also came in seeming less cheerful than normal. After breakfast Tohru did a little cleaning. At eleven o' clock she met everyone at the door and handed them their lunches as they left. As they walked away she waved at them till she could no longer see them and headed indoors. She finished her cleaning and decided to take a nap. An hour later she heard a knock at the door. She got out of bed and hurried downstairs. She had this nagging feeling something was wrong as she headed to the door. The person standing at the door answered her fears. Akito stood in the doorway a calm look on his face. Tohru backed away as Akito entered. "I heard you had fun last night" Akito said. "Yes, the Sohma's are very nice" Tohru said trying her best to keep her voice from shaking. "I heard you had fun with Hatori in particular" Akito said his voice starting to elevate. "Yes, Hatori was very nice to me" Tohru said slightly cowering. Her comment angered Akito who slapped her causing her to hit the wall hard and fall to the ground. "Stop, you have no right to take my family from me" he said towering over her.

"Doctor Sohma, you have a patient in room 3" a nurse said. "Ok" he said heading in the direction on the room. He couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something bad was happening.

When he was done, he told the nurse to take over for a short while. He headed out and got into his car.

Tohru had backed into a corner as Akito got closer and closer but as he did Tohru saw him getting paler and paler. "At least if I go I'll be able to take you with me" as he took out a small dagger and stabbed her in the side. She gasped as she felt the dagger pierce her skin and she fell but just as she blacked out she saw Akito head toward the back door and also heard a car door slam.

Hatori reached the door and saw it had been left slightly open. He knocked and heard no answer which worried him. He knew Tohru was alone tonight and he slid the door open.


	9. Hospital

Sorry my computer decided that I didn't need Microsoft word anymore and college is keeping me busier than ever!

Hospital 

"Tohru" he half gasped and half yelled. He ran to her already taking out his cellphone. He quickly dialed his clinic and told them to make preparations. He looked around and saw a blanket which he wrapped around her to keep the dagger from moving, next he gently picked up making sure the part of her abdomen where the dagger was didn't move. He moved her quickly to his car and sped out. He knew he was going well above the speed limit, thankfully his clinic was relatively close and no cops patrolled the streets he used. He rushed her in and quickly got to work. An hour later he came out sighing from exhaustion. The procedure went well now the only way they could tell if she was gonna be okay would be for her to wake up.

When he came into the waiting room planning to call his family,, the entire jyuunishi bombarded him with questions and tears. He swung Kisa into his arms and quieted the rest of the family. After a moment most of the comments subsided. He told them it would depend on if she woke up. The older adults nodded but they all didn't like the "if" part.

He allowed the adults and older teens to go inside. He left Haru to watch Hiro, Kisa, and Momiji who he didn't want to see Tohru in the condition she was in.

The other five Yuki, Kyo, Hatori, Ayame, and Shigure walked in. As soon as Kyo walked in and saw Tohru he turned away from the others but Yuki heard the unmistakable sniffles from tears from him. Even the adults seemed close to tears. Almost as soon as they entered Hatori walked out. Once Ayame noticed his disappearance he also walked out and into Hatori's office where he was just in time to see Hatori punch the wall as hard as he could with tears running like waterfalls down his face. Ayame heard him mutter under his breath. "He did this and there is nothing I can do". Ayame walked in and sat in Hatori's chair to let his presence be known. He just sat and waited for Hatori to speak to him. "Why can't I be happy? Is it that terrible to want to enjoy life" he muttered. "No, but as long as Akito's around there's not much we can do but obey him". "Tohru did nothing wrong, I should have rejected her feelings, it would have hurt her but at least there wouldn't be a chance of her dying". Ayame suddenly walked up and glared at him. "Don't you dare say that Tohru loves you with all her heart and cares for you deeply. She will be fine with some sleep and you two can continue with your life together. If you dare say that again, I'll ..." he ended by turning and walking away. Hatori looking shocked as Ayame walked away. Shigure who wasn't easily surprised also had a shocked look on his face.

Hatori sat down and covered his face with his hands. Shigure looked back at Hatori, "visiting hours are almost over, go spend the night with her, watch her for us and make sure that she knows that your there for her and that she is loved" Shigure smiled and put a hand on Hatori's shoulder before going out to bring the kids home. Kisa had cried herself to sleep and Hiro also looked upset though he didn't outwardly show it.

After everyone had left Hatori entered Tohru's room where he saw that Shigure had already set up a cot and had brought a bag of Hatori's and Tohru's clothing. Though Tohru was in a hospital gown, Hatori and no doubt everyone else was hoping that would not last long. He quickly got dressed in his pajamas in the bathroom. He sat and talked about talking for a few hours. He talked about taking another vacation to the lake again. He thanked her for setting a blanket on him the first time. He talked about the future, about what he wanted to do and he also talked about the family.

Eventually he fell asleep holding her hand. He woke with a start the next morning after having a nightmare that Tohru hadn't made it through the night. He looked down to see her breathing normally and to see that her hair had become quite messy throughout the night. He sighed knowing that there were only two people that knew anything about hair and were old enough to see Tohru in that condition. He thought about Kagura but realized she was at Sensei's dojo today. So he picked up the phone and dialed the only other person that he could think of. "Yes, Ayame's, how may we help you?" Mine answered. "Is Ayame there, I require his help with something" Hatori said. "OF COURSE, AYAME, IT IS HATORI" she screamed. Hatori had to hold the phone at arms-length so that he didn't risk losing his hearing. "Yes, my beloved Hatori". "I know that I am going to regret this, but I need your help". "Tohru's hair is a mess due to everything that happened yesterday". "I'll be there in a few minutes" he said. Hatori heard him gathering what he thought he would need. Ten minutes later Ayame walked into Tohru's room. He kept tripping from the amount of stuff that he was carrying. "Ok, so I was thinking a French braid would look good on her" he said proudly. Hatori sighed and nodded. "It doesn't matter as long as she can wake up and not have bed head" he said with a smile. "I guess the lovey dovey Hatori would think she looked well in anything" Ayame answered dramatically, smiling at Hatori's attempt at a joke.

Moments later Ayame had a long and beautiful braid in Tohru's hair. "All done" he said proudly. Hatori smiled; she looked so much better and less sickly when her hair wasn't a mess.

Two more days passed. When he had to work, he had a member of the family or nurse stay with her but he always spent the night with her. As the second drew to a close, Hatori was worried she would never wake up.

As usual he got into his pajamas and went to lie in his cot, after setting it near her hospital bed. As he reached for her hand, he felt it twitch. "Tohru" he said hopefully. He saw her hand move again and suddenly and slowly her eyes began to open. He smiled to her and touched her head gently. She went to try to speak and struggled at first but eventually managed to say "Hatori". "It's okay, I'm here, and I'm not leaving you" he said close to tears because of his joy at seeing her beautiful eyes once again. She winced a little bit and Hatori administered some pain medication for the pain after giving her a check-up. He also made sure that the wound wasn't infected and, and as he and the family had done every four hours for the past couple of days he replaced her bandages.

Tohru looked exhausted even though she had slept for several days. Hatori laid the cot close as he could as he could to her bed and kissed her head. He sat on his cot and watched her fall asleep. Eventually after watching her asleep for nearly a half an hour he too fell asleep

The next morning he awoke to a hand gently stroking his hand. He woke with a smile as he looked into Tohru's blue eyes. He had never been happier than he was right at that moment. Suddenly he let out an unhappy sigh much to Tohru's surprise.

He had suddenly remembered that he had to check on Akito which he had done every morning since his attack on Tohru. It looked as if this would be his last few days. Hatori was happy that he had survived long enough to know that he (Akito) had failed and that Tohru had awoken.

He walked in smiling as he entered Akito's room though most of the family thought of it as Akito's "Lair". "How are you doing today, Akito" he tried to say politely. "How do you think I feel today" he snapped. "I hear that despicable girl woke up yesterday" he said with a sneer.

It took all Hatori had not to knock the smug look of his face. He quickly treated Akito to the best of his ability and tried to leave quickly. He almost managed to get out when he heard what he had been dreading. "Hatori, I think it's high time we end that girls suffering and make her forget everything" Akito said smiling evilly. "Akito, I don't care what you say or what you do to me. I love her and there is nothing that you can do to me that would make me do that or change the way I feel. You made Kana leave but I will protect Tohru from you no matter what" Hatori turned around and stormed out past some very surprised attendant's. Akito looked as though the sky had fallen all around him and the world was turning upside down. Hatori heard him scream in aggravation as he headed back to the clinic and to Tohru's side.

As he entered her room he set his bag on the chair in the corner of the room and sat on the cot next to her bed with a sigh. Tohru sat up and set her hand softly on his cheek. When he looked up, he saw her looking at her with concern. "Don't worry. Dealing with Akito is just a bit tiring is all" he said laying his hand on the hand that was on his cheek. It was obvious she was exhausted and soon after Hatori arrival she was out cold. Hatori watched as she slowly fell asleep smiling at him. He vowed Akito would never again get the chance to lay his hands on Tohru. After changing and reading for a short while he to fell asleep but this time not on his own cot but he laid on top of the blankets on Tohru bed with her head on his shoulder.

Hatori woke before Tohru the next morning and slowly shifted her head to the pillow and got up. Stretching, he sighed, more than anything he wanted to stay where he was and go back to sleep but he knew that wasn't possible. He quickly changed and headed out. He got some breakfast for himself and Tohru and headed back to their room just in time to be nearly knocked over by Momiji.

"Hey Hatori, I was gonna go get my violin to play for Tohru" he said excitedly. The young rabbit had been playing for as long as Hatori could remember and he knew that Momiji was quite good. "I bet Tohru would love that" he smiled as the bunny took off running down the hall. Hatori would have shouted not to run in the halls but he knew that it would do little to slow Momiji down. He heard a giggle come from Tohru's room. As he peeked in he saw that Tohru was the culprit. "What's so funny" Hatori asked smiling at the giggly younger girl. "Momiji looks so excited, makes me really want to hear him play" she said covering her mouth trying to hide her giggling face. Hatori carefully removed her hand and gently touched his lips to hers savoring the moment. He heard a snort of laughter behind him a few seconds later. He turned around to see Shigure and Ayame standing there. Hatori let out an exasperated sigh as Shigure said "are we interrupting something" he had a smile on his face that would cause anyone to want to slap him. Thankfully Hatori was quite use to this behavior and could tolerate most things he said. Hatori leaned back against the headrest with Tohru's hand in his own in between the two of them. Ayame smiling like a gossiping girl and said "figured her braid needed a touch-up though we could come back later" his smile slowly grew with each word. "Go ahead I have something that I have to do now that I really would rather not have to do" he practically grumbled with each word.

Suddenly one of Akito's attendants came into the room and demanded that Hatori come now. Hatori looked up and followed the attendant to Akito's quarters and saw Akito with his breath coming in short gasps. Hatori knew that these would be his last minutes. Hatori couldn't help but think that this was ironic justice. Tohru was getting better and stronger as Akito grew weaker and worse. He went over and administered pain medication which he knew was the best he could do. He may hate Akito but he took the oath to help anyone in need and Akito was certainly in need.

Hatori leaned down next to Akito and said "Just to let you know Tohru's doing great". Akito glared and shifted slightly clearly wanting to strangle Hatori as Hatori stepped away to let the attendant know the "bad" news. The attendants only knew vaguely of Akito's bad temper to the other members of their large family. Hatori went to Akito's side after he stopped moving and checked his pulse and called the time of his death to be written.

He bowed respectively to the upset attendants and headed to let the rest of the family know the news. Shigure and Ayame tried to look respectively upset but the younger jyuunishi couldn't hide their smile and Momiji was half way between wanting to cheer and he respective at the same time.

Hatori walked into Tohru's room and told her what had just happened. To Hatori's astonishment Tohru started to cry quietly. He kissed her forehead and held her close. He rocked her back and forth until she stopped crying which took quite a while. He turned to her and asked how she could feel so much sympathy for someone who hurt her so bad. She turned to him on the verge of crying again and said "every life is sacred no matter how they lived that life". Hatori smiled, it was moment's like this that were sacred to him and reminded him why he loved her so dearly. He got up and kissed her forehead once again and the gently touched his lips to her. "I have to go arrange the funeral with Shigure and Ayame". He gently kissed her again and left. She sighed and leaned back and for the first time in a long time she thought about her mother and her mother's death. She opened her eyes a little while later and looked at the photo she kept of her mother on her bedside table. She had learned from her mother that every life was precious and after spending so much time with Hatori she was beginning to realize what that meant. She smiled and leaned back against the pillow and fell fast asleep.

Hatori walked over to where Shigure and Ayame waited. "So how did the princess take the news" Ayame had a sympathetic smile on his usually cheerful face. "She's upset though I don't see how she could be so upset over someone who tried to kill her" Hatori seethed with anger. Ayame and Shigure almost fell over from shock after seeing how clearly the anger was portrayed on Hatori's face. He didn't try at all to hide his feelings. Shigure smiled and said "that's the type of girl she is". Hatori sighed and changed from pure anger to caring as he looked at the ground "I know" he let a smile slowly appear on his face. He turned and entered the office followed by Shigure and Ayame to plan for the upcoming funeral for the head of the family.


End file.
